Shelblik is back! However, this time they are all set to play against each other in the first round (R64) of the Canadian Open. Alexander Bublik is entering this match after his early exit from the Paris Olympics at the hands of Taylor Fritz. Ben Shelton chose to stay out of the Olympics this time, even though he was eligible for the mega event. In the Atlanta Open instead, he was defeated in the R16. Following up at the Citi Open, he reached the SF. How far can he go in Montreal?

Both of these tennis stars have won one title each this season. Bublik has displayed some exceptional brand of tennis in some of the tournaments this year. However, his inability to maintain consistency throughout the matches is what put him in trouble at times.

Ben Shelton vs Alexander Bublik: Preview

Apart from winning a title this year in Houston, Shelton has reached three SFs and two QFs. In his last match, the 21-year-old lefty was defeated by Italy’s Flavio Cobolli. Now, let’s look at the numbers from that SF clash in Washington where the Italian beat Shelton by 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. ‘Big Ben’ hit 12 aces in that match and committed just 3 double faults. He won 78% of his first serve and 48% of his second serve. However, in the breakpoints, he could only convert 2/5 and gave away 3/5.

Bublik, on the other hand, has won one title, reached one final, two SFs, and two QFs this year. In his previous match at the Paris Olympics, Fritz defeated him by a 6-4, 6-4 margin in the first round. The Kazakhstani tennis star hit 6 aces and committed just a single double fault in the entire match. He won 76% of his first serve and 36% of his second serve against the American. He converted 0/2 breakpoints and gave away 2/5.

Shelton vs Bublik: Head-to-Head

This will be their third meeting, but they know each other’s game pretty well. They have teamed up in quite a few tournaments. Even here, just a few hours after this singles match, they’ll play the doubles together against Jannik Sinner and Jack Draper.

• 2023 Rome Masters R64: Bublik 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 
• 2024 Madrid Masters R32: Bublik 3-6, 7-6, 6-4

Prediction: Shelton to win in three sets

As we have already seen, both of their previous meetings took three sets to decide the winner. We can easily say that this match is also most likely to go deep as well. Despite the result favoring the Kazakhstani in the previous encounters, we must keep in mind that both of those matches took place on the clay courts. This time, it’s on hard courts, and Ben Shelton is at his best on this surface. So, surely, this could give him a slight edge over here. 

If we take a look at their win-loss record this season, Shelton has recorded 26-18, while Bublik has recorded 23-17. Even in the rankings, the American is ranked 14th in the world, while Bublik is ranked 25th. Considering all these factors, Shelton seems most likely to get the upper hand here.

‘Big Ben’s’ biggest weapon is his serve. So far, he has hit 404 aces this season and committed near about 166 double faults. Bublik also has a powerful serve in his armory but his numbers tell us that he needs to put a serious check on his double fault counts (Aces- 451, Double Faults-247).

Apart from the serves, Shelton has a powerful forehand and backhand as well. He likes putting his opponents on the backfoot with fiery groundstrokes and then he usually comes up to the nets to finish the points, which has worked well for him in the American swing.

Bublik’s game, on the other hand, is more like a compilation of unorthodox new school innovations. He loves to use underarm serves and trick shots to put his opponents off guard. Is it enough to outclass someone as energetic as the ‘Big Ben’ though? Looks most unlikely at the moment! The American’s powerful game will likely overwhelm the Kazakhstani player.