Americans Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton will begin their final preparations for the Sunshine Double when they play in Acapulco on Monday. Paul kicks off his week against Jack Draper, while Shelton faces Dan Evans.
Jack Draper vs. (7) Tommy Paul
Paul and Draper will be facing each other for the fourth time in their careers and for the third time already this season when they meet again in round one of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel on Monday. They split their two January encounters, with Draper rolling 6-1, 6-4 in Adelaide before Paul prevailed 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 at the Australian Open. The overall head-to-head series stands at 2-1 in Draper’s favor, as he also got the best of a 2023 Adelaide showdown via a 6-4, 6-4 decision.
Draper seems to have cooled off a bit since dropping the Adelaide final in heartbreaking fashion to Jiri Lehecka. The British left-hander fell to Paul at Melbourne Park and then lost his Los Cabos opener last week at the hands of Thanasi Kokkinakis. Paul, on the other hand, is in outstanding form. The 14th-ranked American is coming off back-to-back final appearances, lifting the Dallas trophy and finishing runner-up in Delray Beach. Although conditions in Acapulco are also good for Draper, Paul made it all the way to the title match last February and has reached the quarterfinals on two other occasions. The seventh seed loves this tournament and is playing great, so he should be in line for a big week.
Pick: Paul in 3
Dan Evans vs. Ben Shelton
Shelton is off to a solid but unspectacular start in what amounts to his “sophomore” season on the ATP Tour following a breakout 2023 campaign. The 16th-ranked American is 6-4 with semifinal showings in Auckland and Dallas to go along with a third-round effort at the Australian Open.
Up first for Shelton on Monday is a first-ever showdown with Evans. The 42nd-ranked Brit missed the last few weeks of 2023 due to a calf injury and really has not been the same since that stroke of bad luck. Evans is just 2-4 so far this year and coming off a blowout loss to Kokkinakis in the Los Cabos second round. This is bad matchup for Evans, as Shelton’s superior firepower will keep the underdog at the baseline and away from the net–which is where he wants to be, especially in this particular match. Fast conditions in Acapulco will only give Shelton an extra boost, making this even more likely to be one-way traffic.
Pick: Shelton in 2
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