American star Ben Shelton will be in second-round action at the ATP 500 in Basel against home favorite Stan Wawrinka on Thursday. Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas takes Botic van de Zandschulp for a spot in the quarterfinals.
(3) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. (Q) Botic van de Zandschulp
Perennial top-10 player Stefanos Tsitsipas has been on the struggle bus a bit in 2024–and particularly at the majors, where the best he managed was a quarterfinal showing at the French Open. He did win the Monte-Carlo Masters, but that is his lone title. He currently sits at No. 11 in the world and for the time being out of the picture for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
Dutcman Botic van de Zandschulp has edured a rough 2024. He is ranked 67th in the world and currently splits his time between the main tour and the Challenger circuit. He was forced to qualify for the main draw this week and slid into the second round when first-round opponent Alexander Bublik retired in the third set.
Tsitispas won his only previous match against Van de Zandschulp and given the underdog’s form at the moment, the Greek is likely to make it two for two.
Cheryl pick: Tsitsipas in 2
Pick: Tsitsipas in 2
(6) Ben Shelton vs. (WC) Stan Wawrinka
With Roger Federer retired, Stan Wawrinka and countryman Dominic Stricker are the main Swiss hopes at this year’s Basel tournament. Unfortunately for local tennis fans, both players needed wild cards to get into the tournament and don’t project to make a deep run. Wawrinka, who has three major titles to his credit, is ranked 169th–surely a result of his being nearly 40 years old. He posted a win over Adrian Mannarino in the first round, but running into Ben Shelton in the second isn’t good news for the veteran.
Shelton is currently ranked 23rd but is already projected to break back into the top 20 next week. He had a career high ranking of 13th this August, but he came up short at the U.S. Open–where he was defending semifinal points but lost in the third round. Shelton owns a pair of titles in 2024 and comes into the second round off a comfortable win over Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
The crowd will work hard to give Wawrinka a boost, but it’s hard to imagine the Swiss even grabbing a set from Shelton.
Cheryl pick: Shelton in 2
Ricky pick: Shelton in 2
