Ben Shelton will get a chance to avenge a pair of 2023 losses at the hands of Jerry Shang when they meet in the Atlanta second round on Thursday. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Reilly Opelka are also taking the court.
(1) Ben Shelton vs. (Q) Juncheng Shang
Ben Shelton comes into the Atlanta Open as a certified, legitimate headliner. The 21-year-old American broke through at the U.S. Open last year, when he advanced all the way to the semifinals before losing to Novak Djokovic in straight sets. He sits at a career high of No. 14 in the world. Shelton came up a little short on European clay, but he advanced to the round of 16 at Wimbledon and he is now back on his preferred hard courts to prepare for the U.S. Open.
Shelton’s first opponent in Atlanta in round two on Thursday is Juncheng (Jerry) Shang. The Chinese lefty beat Shelton in Atlanta last year and again in Washington, D.C. He holds that 2-0 record in the head-to-head series, but Shelton will have the chance to get some revenge. The top seed is playing in front of an appreciative home crowd and with the confidence of having fared well at Wimbledon.
Shang made quick work of wild card Andres Martin on Wednesday afternoon, but Shelton is an entirely different prospect. This could actually be competitive, but it’s hard to believe that lightning will strike twice at the same tournament.
Cheryl pick: Shelton in 3
Ricky pick: Shelton in 3
(5) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. (SE) Reilly Opelka
This match will feature an intriguing contrast in styles. American Reilly Opelka, who is making his way back after a two-year layoff due to hip and wrist surgeries. At 6’11”, Opelka’s game is all booming first serve and frequent forays into net. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is more of a baseliner–although despite the fact that he’s Spanish, the world No. 43 is quite comfortable on hard courts.
They have never played before–hardly surprising given Opelka’s inability to play for the past two years. The court is lively in Atlanta (per usual) and that’s usually a benefit to bigger servers. Still, Opelka has played a lot of tennis in the past two weeks, owing to his recent surprise run to the semifinals in Newport.
Fatigue is bound to play a factor, and a player like Davidovich Fokina is perfectly suited to exploit it. This one could be competitive early on, but given the likelihood that this will be one of the night matches and the Spaniard won’t have to deal with the heat, expect the Opelka to be worn down.
Cheryl pick: Davidovich Fokina in 3
Ricky pick: Davidovich Fokina in 2
