The French Open are up and running and of course we will be posting some of our best predictions for a selection of the matches. Today, on day two of the tournament, we have an interesting first-round matchup as Daniel Merida Aguilar faces off against Ben Shelton.
Match Details
- Tournament: Roland Garros (French Open)
- Round: First Round
- Venue: Court Suzanne Lenglen
- Scheduled Time: 15:00 CEST
Merida vs Shelton
The American enters the tournament as a top-seeded player (Seed No. 5). While highly regarded for his powerful game, Shelton is known to be more comfortable on faster surfaces, and he faces a stern test adjusting his aggressive style to the slower red clay of Paris. His clay swing has been very mixed so far but is usually up for the task in the big events.
Daniel Merida, ranked No. 86 in the world, has shown notable form on clay this season. He is considered a dangerous “sleeper” in the draw, as his comfort on the surface could pose significant problems for Shelton. His talent is there for anyone to see, but he can get a bit impatient at times. Read more about Daniel Merida’s racquet here.
This match is among some bettors, viewed as a potential upset opportunity. While Shelton’s superior ranking and experience make him the favorite on paper, his inconsistent results on clay this year, combined with Merida’s comfort level on the surface, suggest we might see a highly competitive opening-round battle.
Predictions and Best Bets
What is the form of Shelton at the moment? That is the main question here, he won the Munich event in impressive style but has since then had early exits on the clay swing. His consistency on clay is still not there but he has a great record at Grand Slams and his game suits the 5 set format. We might see this already in the first round.
It will be fun to watch Merida though, a player that likes this surface and has shown great form in both ATP and Challenger events, which led to a jump in the ranks recently. He has a 28-14 clay record over the past year (Challenger / ITF) and should give Shelton a match in the hot weather in Paris today.
In a Grand Slam over five sets, I think Shelton will overcome this match though but I found value in these bets: