The season is just getting better and better and we now come to the lush green courts to start the grass court season. Coming into the middle of the year, players are now more than determined to either leave their poor run of form or carry the momentum that they already have. One of those stars is Ben Shelton who does not look to stop anytime soon.

Coming into the Stuttgart Open, he will now be looking to lock horns against an opponent that he is very well aware of, the Aussie tennis star, James Duckworth. With so much at stake for both stars, who will come out on top in this intriguing encounter?

Ben Shelton vs James Duckworth: Preview

Ranked a career-high No. 14, Ben Shelton will start his Stuttgart campaign after losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Roland Garros third round on June 1st. Shelton holds a 19-11 win-loss record in 2024 but hasn’t played on grass yet this year. His season highlight was winning the Houston title by defeating Frances Tiafoe 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. Over his career, Shelton has a 105-55 record, though he’s 2-3 on grass. This will be his first grass-court match of the season.

Ranked No. 101, Australian James Duckworth reached the second round in Stuttgart by defeating Khumoun Sultanov, Rudolf Molleker, and Pierre-Hugues Herbert. In the first round, he beat Herbert 6-4, 7-6. Duckworth scored 69 points to Herbert’s 56, hitting 38 winners. He served 10 aces and made no double faults, winning 88% of his first serves and 63% of his second serves. He didn’t face a single break point and broke Herbert once from two opportunities. Duckworth’s best result this year was reaching the final in the Shenzhen 1 Challenger. He has a 27-14 record in 2024, including 4-1 on grass.

Shelton vs Duckworth: Head-to-head

When it comes to the head-to-head stats between the two players, it is the Australian player who has the slightest advantage over his American opponent. These two stars have faced each other just one time and that encounter came around 2 years ago at the qualification of the ATP Adelaide Open.

• ATP Adelaide Open

In what was a clear one-sided domination, the Aussie star managed to win the game in straight sets. After clinching the first set with the scoreline of 6-3, a determined Ben Shelton tried to bounce back in the second one. However, despite the efforts, it wasn’t enough to overcome his opponent and Duckworth managed to come out on top in the tie-breaker. The final scoreline of the match ended 6-3, 7-6 (2) in favor of the Australian star.

With the chance of leveling the score, Shelton will now be looking to avenge the defeat he faced a year ago. On the other hand, Duckworth will be looking to get his hands on his 2nd win in the interesting head-to-head stats. That being said, who among the two has the highest chance of coming out on top this time around?

Prediction: Ben Shelton to take the win in straight sets

One thing is for certain, these two will not give up without giving a strong fight. However, considering the current form that both the stars have shown, Ben Shelton looks certain to clinch the win in straight sets and overpower his Aussie rival.

With the grass season also starting, he will be determined to continue the momentum with him and look ahead to continue the momentum. With a 19-11 record this season and a title triumph in Houston, he certainly has the skills to get going ahead and will be looking to bring out the best results in his first-ever participation in the Boss Open. What are your thoughts on this? Who will come out on top? Do let us know in the comments below!