It’s Super Sunday! American star, Ben Shelton takes on France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the final of the 2024 Swiss Indoors. This tournament has truly been quite exceptional so far. We saw four guys, 22 years old or younger make it into the semis, and guess what Shelton is the oldest of the four. Now Shelton and Giovanni aim to add a feather to their caps in Basel. Who will win this mega-final? Let’s have a closer look at their chances:

Ben Shelton vs Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard: Preview

Ben Shelton has played a good brand of tennis this season, but unfortunately for the 22-year-old, he failed to convert his chances when it mattered the most. He won a title at the ATP Houston earlier this year, but after that, Shelton hasn’t yet won any. Will Basel gift him his second title of the season? Well, fortune favors the brave! Ben Shelton has been in great shape in this tournament so far. He has defeated Stan Wawrinka and Andrey Rublev on his path to final. In the SF, he beat Frenchman, Arthur Fils 6-3,7-6(9). What’ll be the scoreline in the next?

Talking about his 21-year-old opponent in the final, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard has won a few tournaments this year. His first title came at the Challenger Nottingham, GB in February this year. After that, he won two titles in April (Morelos Open and GNP Seguros Tennis Open), before getting his hand on the Lyon Open title. Perricard beat Danish superstar, Holger Rune in the SF match 7-6(6),6-4. Now, it’ll be interesting to see how well he performs against the American in the final.

Shelton vs Perricard: Head-to-Head

Ben Shelton has faced Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard only once in his career so far, and guess what? The Frenchman emerged victorious.

• 2024 Queen’s Club Championships R32: Perricard 6-3,7-6(3).

Prediction: Shelton to win in three sets

We are expecting a lot of fireworks in this intriguing contest! Both these tennis stars have enormous potential to light up the stage in Basel. They have played exceptionally so far in this tournament and now, it’s time to find out who’s better between these two. We’re keeping Shelton slightly ahead in this contest mainly because of one reason. Despite winning more titles than Shelton, the Frenchman hasn’t been put under some real test against tough opponents as frequently as the American this season.

Shelton has a win-loss index of 41-24 this season, while Perricard has a win-loss index of just 15-13 on the main Tour. Based on these factors, we can say the American has a slight edge in this matchup. Ben Shelton’s incredible run in Basel has now also ensured him a Top 20 return in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday. Now, it’ll be interesting to see how further up he goes from here onwards.

Talking about their playing styles, Perricard is an aggressive player with a powerful serve and a strong baseline game. Additionally, his height can cause a few troubles to his opponents. Perricard’s monstrous serves and thundering groundstrokes are two of his lethal weapons. Apart from that, the Frenchman also has an unorthodox single-handed backhand in his armory.He has already hit 87 aces in his four matches in Basel. How many will he hit in the finals? Time will tell!

On the other hand, Ben Shelton also plays an aggressive brand of tennis with big serves in his armory. He has already hit 562 aces this season and even in this tournament he has fired quite a few aces against his opponents. Shelton is also quite powerful and consistent on both the forehand and backhand side. He loves moving to the net after hitting his venomous groundstrokes in order to seal the deal against his opponents. Shelton is a formidable force on fast courts, so beating him on this surface may turn out to be a tough ask for the Frenchman. Who do you think will pull it off in Basel?