America’s Ben Shelton will be in action at the Paris Masters in just a few hours from now. He’ll take on the home favorite, Corentin Moutet in the first round (R64) of this iconic tournament. Shelton is entering this tournament after facing a shocking defeat at the hands of another Frenchman, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the final of the Swiss Indoors. Can he pull things back on track with a win in this match?

Ben Shelton vs Corentin Moutet: Preview

Ben Shelton has played some outstanding tennis this season. However, his standout performance came in Houston where he defeated his compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the final by 7-5,4-6,6-3. That was his first and so far his only title of this season! Can Paris bring some fortune to this young American? Well, time will tell! However, his loss in the final in Basel to Perricard by a 4-6,6(4)-7 margin will remain a big concern for all the American fans ahead of this contest.

Corentin Moutet’s best performances came at the Chile Open where he reached the SF. Apart from that, he has played a decent brand of tennis, but the Frenchman has failed to convert those into fruitful results. In this tournament, he has already played two matches, and guess what? Moutet didn’t have to put much effort in both of those matches, as his opponents gave him a walkover in those two qualifiers. So, he has now perhaps got a fair bit of time to prepare himself for this epic clash. Now, it’ll be interesting to see how well he approaches this mega contest.

Shelton vs Moutet: Head-to-Head

It’s going to be the firepower of Ben Shelton versus the skillful display of tennis from Corentin Moutet. Have they played against each other before in their careers? Well, the answer is a big NO! Who is most likely to have the edge in their first meeting?

Prediction: Shelton to win in straight sets

Ben Shelton is the favorite in this match! Reasons? Well, he is currently ranked 19th in the world and has a win-loss record of 41-25. On the other hand, the 25-year-old Frenchman, Corentin Moutet is ranked 70th and he has a win-loss record of just 10-15 on the main Tour. So, considering all these factors and looking at their performances in their previous matches this season, we’re keeping the American ahead in this contest.

Both these players have a contrasting style of play, Ben Shelton loves playing an aggressive brand of tennis. He has big serves in his armory and if we look at numbers, Shelton has a total of 610 aces in this season already! Apart from that, he is also quite consistent and powerful on both the forehand and backhand side. He likes coming up to the net after hitting his powerful groundstrokes to finish off the points. Ben Shelton is very formidable on the fast surfaces, so beating him here will be a mammoth task for Moutet.

Corentin Moutet on the other hand is one of the most talented ball strikers on the Tour. He has a good backhand lice and forehand lob which can cause a few troubles for Shelton in this match. His creative style of play is a pure bliss to watch. The Frenchman loves displaying an unorthodox brand of tennis with some really crafty shots. His favorite shots are the drop shots and volleys, but are these enough to topple the gritty American superstar? Perhaps not!