Jannik Sinner is seeking his first-ever Wimbledon title, and he is taking on American Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals.
Let’s preview the match through the lens of the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Jannik Sinner vs. Ben Shelton preview
The world’s top-ranked player, Jannik Sinner, advanced to the Wimbledon quarterfinals under bizarre circumstances. Sinner was down two sets to zero in the Round of 16 against Grigor Dimitrov, when Dimitrov suffered an injury and had to retire from the match. So, despite being on the brink of elimination, Sinner found himself through to the next round. On the one hand, this is a lifeline that Sinner can use to propel him to his first-ever Wimbledon title. He had a rare off-day and wasn’t actually punished for it. On the other hand, that could be a confidence knock for Sinner. He might be in a strange headspace after advancing in that manner and lacking confidence heading into this round.
The 22-year-old American Ben Shelton is through to his first-ever Wimbledon quarterfinals. Shelton broke onto the scene with his incredible run to the US Open semifinals in 2023. He started this season strong, making his second Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open. Now, he is hoping to make that jump at Wimbledon as well. However, the World No. 1 stands between him and a spot in the semis. Shelton has looked great in this tournament so far, winning his first three matches in straight sets and only requiring a fourth set in the Round of 16. Shelton is a tenacious player who won’t get pushed around by Jannik Sinner.
Sinner vs. Shelton pick, best bet
Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton have met six times in their career. Shelton won the first-ever meeting between the two, but Sinner has won the past five. Two of their past three meetings have been in Grand Slams, including here at Wimbledon in 2024. Sinner knocked Shelton out of the 2024 Wimbledon Round of 16 in straight sets, although the third set did go to an exciting tiebreak. Sinner also defeated Shelton earlier this year in the Australian Open semifinals, en route to Sinner’s Grand Slam title. So, history shows that Sinner is a level above Shelton, and this will be an uphill battle for Shelton to advance to the next round.
Ben Shelton is a hard-court specialist. Both of his Grand Slam semifinal appearances have come on hard courts, and all five of his upsets over top-ten players have come on hard courts, including his win over Sinner in 2023. If Shelton is ever to win a Grand Slam, it will likely be in Australia or New York. However, he is a tough player who will not submit to Sinner, even if Sinner’s game is superior. Shelton should try to make this match ugly and make Sinner uncomfortable. Shelton is more than capable of stealing a set off Sinner and pushing him to the brink. However, Sinner’s game is just on another level and he will ultimately come out victorious.
My best bet for this match is over 39.5 games. While I expect Sinner to win, Shelton should be able to steal a set or even push this to five sets. Even in the sets he loses, he could push Sinner to a tiebreak like he did in the third set the last time these two met at the All England Club. That great action should push this match over 39.5 games.
