Ben Shelton was put under some real test in the second round (R32) of the Cincinnati Masters. He came back from a set down to beat Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry by 6(6)-7,7-6(7),6-3. Next up for him in the R16 is the Hungarian, Fabian Marozsan. Even Marozsan won a hard-fought battle in a three-set thriller against Grigor Dimitrov. Are we heading to another epic three-set encounter in the R16?

Ben Shelton vs Fabian Marozsan: Preview

Shortly after his 2-hour and 52-minute match against Etcheverry, Shelton said, “These are the types of wins that propel you.” Can this emphatic triumph help him come up with a dominating performance against the Hungarian? Shelton has been in decent form this year, he has already won a title in Houston. Apart from that, the 21-year-old has also reached three SFs and two QFs in his previous tournaments. He defeated his countryman, Reilly Opelka in the first round, and then another convincing victory in the second match will surely boost his confidence heading towards the next.

Marozsan’s best record this season has been reaching the QFs twice in his previous tournaments. However, in Cincinnati, his performance reflected a fair bit of resilience in both of his matches. In the first round, he beat the Frenchman, Corentin Moutet by 6-4,7-6(2), and then in the second, he overcame the Bulgarian superstar, Dimitrov by 4-6,6-4,6-3.

Shelton vs Marozsan: Head-to-Head

Shelton has faced Marozsan twice in his career so far. In both of those matches, it was the American youngster who had the better of the Hungarian. Currently, their H2H scoreline is 2-0 in favor of Shelton.

• 2023 Challenger Cagliari, IT R16: Shelton 6-4,7-6(6).
• 2024 ASB Classic R16: Shelton 6-3,6-4.

Prediction: Shelton to win this match in straight sets

Both of their previous meetings were in the R16 and Shelton got the edge in both. We’re expecting a similar result this time as well. Reason? Well, that’s purely because of Shelton’s current form compared to the Hungarian and obviously, the venue of this match. Shelton will have the support from the home crowd and this, in turn, could put some pressure on the 24-year-old Hungarian. Marozsan currently has a win-loss record of 19-22 this year, while Shelton has managed to put up a record of 29-19. 

Even in the rankings, Shelton (14) is way ahead of the Marozsan (50). ‘Big Ben’s biggest weapon has been his big serving abilities. He can produce a significant amount of kick on both his first and second serves. So far, he has hit 420 aces this season and won 87% of his service games. If we look at the numbers from Cincinnati, Shelton has hit a total of 19 aces in his previous two matches.

Apart from his serves, he also has a decent backhand and forehand to put his opponents in trouble. However, Shelton’s incredible athleticism is what mostly separates him from other players. On the other hand, Marozsan is a versatile player with a formidable forehand and powerful serves in his armory, He is known for his strong baseline game and competitive spirit on the court.

Can Marozsan give a tough fight against the crowd-favorite? Looks, pretty much unlikely at the moment, though.