Top seed Ben Shelton will be in action at the 2025 ASB Classic in just a few moments from now. This is his third appearance at this tournament and he’s quite excited to participate in his “favorite 250” tournament. “Going into year three, I’m not really a rookie anymore…now I feel like I’m prepared for anything,” said the American ahead of his R16 match against Jakub Mensik (CZE).

The 19-year-old Czech tennis star had a decent season last year, reaching a career-high rank of No. 48 in October. Mensik may be alittle wet behind the ears, but with startling upsets over top players like Grigor Dmitrov, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Andrey Rublev last year, he is still a force that can’t be written off easily. The question is, can he now beat Shelton and make it to yet another QF this season after becoming the youngest quarterfinalist at the Rolex Shanghai Masters in 2025?

Ben Shelton vs Jakub Mensik: Preview

Ben Shelton had a decent season in 2024. He started his campaign last year by reaching the SF at the ASB Classic, but was defeated by Japan’s Taro Daniel in two sets. After that, he reached the SF at the Dallas Open and won the title at the ATP Houston. Ben Shelton also reached the SF at the Citi Open and the final of the Swiss Indoors. However, he recently suffered a disappointing loss against Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis in the Davis Cup Finals. So, Shelton will be keen to get back to his winning tracks ahead of the mega 2025 AO!

Jakub Mensik also made some deep tournament runs in the previous season. For example, he reached the SF of the Challenger Manama, BH, and then made it to the final at the 2024 Qatar Open. However, in the final, he was defeated by Russia’s Karen Khachanov in two sets. After that, Mensik also reached the SF of the Croatia Open. Even in this season, he has looked quite impressive so far. Jakub Mensik reached the QF at the 2025 Brisbane International. However, he was defeated by the Frenchman, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in that match by 5-7,6(5)-7. He’ll be entering this contest following his R32 win against Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta.

Shelton vs Mensik: Head-to-Head

Ben Shelton has faced Jakub Mensik only once in his career so far. Currently, their H2H record is in favor (1-0) of the American. At the 2024 ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells R64, Shelton defeated Mensik 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. But who will have the edge though in their second encounter?

Prediction: Shelton to win in three sets

Ben Shelton knows how to make a longer stay in this tournament, having played some outstanding tennis in the last edition. Apart from that, throughout the 2024 season, Shelton has played quite a few matches against some real tough opponents. So, this 22-year-old American has gained quite a lot of experience over the last few months which may come in handy in the 2025 season. However, the 19-year-old Czech, Jakub Mensik has enormous potential but at the same time, he’s relatively the less experienced one in this epic battle.

Both of them are two of the brightest stars in men’s tennis at the moment. However, if asked to pick a winner, then Shelton might have the upper hand at the moment. Ben Shelton (21) had a win-loss record of 42-26 last season, while Jakub Mensik (49) recorded 26-20!

Now, if we take a look at their playing styles, Mensik’s game consists of commanding serves along with precise drop shots as well. He loves serving big and is also a big returner of the ball. He hit 428 aces last season and guess what? Jakub Mensik fired a whopping 18 aces in his previous match against Busta. Apart from his incredible serving abilities, Mensik also has a decent backhand down-the-line shot which may trouble Ben Shelton in this epic battle.

On the other hand, Shelton loves playing an aggressive brand of tennis. He also has big serves in his armory and if we take a look at the numbers, the American hit 619 aces in 2024. Apart from that, Ben Shelton is also quite consistent and powerful on both forehand and backhand side. He likes coming up to the net after hitting his powerful groundstrokes to finish off the points. Shelton is very formidable on the fast surfaces, so we feel beating him here in Auckland will really be a mammoth task for the young Czech!