A whole host of players in the bottom half of the draw will take the court on back-to-back days at the French Open. Friday’s schedule is a fun one, headlined by Ben Shelton vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime and Hubert Hurkacz vs. Denis Shapovalov.
(15) Ben Shelton vs. (21) Felix Auger-Aliassime
Shelton and Auger-Aliassime will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they clash in round three of the French Open on Friday. With the schedule in Paris backed up by rain, both men had to play their second-round matches on Thursday and importantly got off the court in a timely fashion. Shelton was handed a retirement by Kei Nishikori after taking the first two sets, while Auger-Aliassime dismissed qualifier Henri Squire 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in two hours and 36 minutes.
After enduring clay-court losses left and right last spring, Shelton has found his footing on the surface in 2024. The world No. 15 lifted the Houston trophy and has now advanced at least one round in four of his five events on dirt after getting past both Nishikori and Hugo Gaston. Auger-Aliassime has once again been inconsistent this season, but he built some momentum with a runner-up performance in Madrid and has advanced in Paris at the expense of Squire and Yoshihito Nishioka. This should be entertaining and competitive, with plenty of big hitting and athleticism on display. A slight edge goes to the American, because even on this surface just one loose surface game against Shelton can cost an opponent a set or even a match–and Auger-Aliasisme is prone to making an out-of-nowhere service donation.
Pick: Shelton in 5
(8) Hubert Hurkacz vs. Denis Shapovalov
A positive result at the French Open is just what the doctor ordered for Shapovalov. The 25-year-old Canadian’s comeback from a 2023 has been slow going, as his season match record was a dreadful 7-13 heading into Roland Garros. Things may be turning around, however, with victories this week over Luca Van Assche (straight sets) and Frances Tiafoe (four).
Shapovalov’s draw gets a lot tougher in the form of Hurkacz, who leads the head-to-head series 4-1 (all on hard courts). They have faced each other only once since 2021, with Hurkacz prevailing 7-6(3), 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3 at the 2023 Australian Open. The Pole is in stellar form this year with a 28-11 record that includes a clay-court title in Estoril and quarterfinal performances at the Aussie Open and Rome Masters. Hurkacz’s winning ways have continued with wins this week over Shintaro Mochizuki (five sets) and Brandon Nakashima (fourth-set tiebreaker). The world No. 8 is playing by far the best clay-court tennis of his career this spring and can be expected to once again bring too much power for Shapovalov.
Pick: Hurkacz in 4
