'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Match Details
Fixture: (4) Ben Shelton vs (12) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Date: July 26, 2025
Tournament: Mubadala Citi DC Open
Round: Men's singles semifinal
Venue: William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center, Washington, D.C., USA
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $2,396,115
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, TC Plus | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Ben Shelton vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina preview
Fourth seed Ben Shelton will square off against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the men's singles semifinals of the Citi DC Open 2025 on Saturday, July 26.
Trending
Shelton beat Mackenzie McDonald and 15th seed Gabriel Diallo in straight sets to set up a quarterfinal showdown against sixth seed Frances Tiafoe. The first set was decided by a tie-break, in which Shelton had the last laugh to put himself in the driver's seat.
Shelton was the first to create break point opportunities in the second set, having three chances to break Tiafoe's serve in the fifth game, but he wasted all of them. He let go of another three break points in the seventh game, but his perseverance eventually paid off, managing to break his compatriot's serve on his fourth break point. The 22-year-old held on to that lead until the end to secure a 7-6 (2), 6-4 win.
Davidovich Fokina didn't drop a set en route to the last eight, scoring wins over Jaume Munar and Learner Tien. He was up against top seed Taylor Fritz for a spot in the semifinals. There were frequent momentum shifts in the opening set, with each player breaking the other's serve thrice.
The Spaniard even held a couple of set points prior to the tie-break, both on his own serve. While he failed to capitalize on those chances, he came out on top in the tie-break to take the set. Fritz was quick to regroup, claiming the second set by breaking his rival's serve on two occasions.
Fritz was on the verge of completing a successful comeback after going 5-2 up in the third set. However, Davidovich Fokina stopped him from serving out the match, reeling off five games on the run for a 7-6 (3), 3-6, 7-5 win.
Ben Shelton vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina head-to-head
Davidovich Fokina leads their head-to-head record with 2-0. He won their previous encounter at the Monte-Carlo Masters 2025 in three sets.
Ben Shelton vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Ben Shelton vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina prediction
Davidovich Fokina looked down and out against Fritz in the quarterfinals but turned things around in the nick of time to get over the finish line. He won 65 percent of his first serve points and struck 39 winners against 51 unforced errors.
Shelton played another great match to one-up Tiafoe and continued his fine run of form at the Citi DC Open. He won a massive 90 percent of points behind his first serve and hit 28 winners compared to 19 unforced errors.
This will be Shelton's best chance to finally get a win over Davidovich Fokina. Despite pushing him to three sets in their previous two meetings, he came up short in the end. The American's serve has been a massive weapon this week. He has lost a total of 25 points during his service games this week, and dropped his serve only once.
Davidovich Fokina, in comparison, conceded 54 points on serve in the previous round against Fritz and got broken on six occasions. Shelton's ground game from the baseline has been imposing as well. The American will be expected to book his place in the final based on his current form.
Pick: Ben Shelton to win in straight sets.
