Ben Shelton vs. Carlos Alcaraz prediction: US Open tennis odds, picks, best bet
Tuesday’s match between Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton at the U.S.Open feels bigger than a quarterfinal.
Alcaraz, who is now in odds-on territory to defend his U.S.Open title, is the brightest star in the sport, but Shelton will have a raucous crowd behind him as he tries to pull off one of the biggest wins in American tennis in a generation.Alcaraz is a decided -420 favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook to get the win at Arthur Ashe on Tuesday evening.Alcaraz is the World No.
2 and has won seven Grand Slams, including a pair of U.S.Opens, but there were more questions about his prospects in Flushing before the tournament than Shelton’s.
The Spaniard hadn’t played in 18 weeks due to a wrist injury, and jumping right into a Grand Slam after a five-month layoff seems like a massive hurdle to leap.Not for Alcaraz.The 23-year-old has looked like his vintage self in Queens, dropping just one set combined against Roman Safiullin, Jaime Faria, Yibing Wu, and Tommy Paul.It’s not the toughest path to a Grand Slam quarterfinal, but it’s still masterful work considering the circumstances.That said, Shelton’s run to the quarterfinals may be even more impressive given the foes he had to defeat.
None of the former Florida Gators’ vanquished opponents are currently ranked inside the top 45, but don’t let that fool you.Getting past Tallon Griekspoor, Hubert Hurkacz, Denis Shapovalov, and Stefanos Tsitsipas is a real achievement.Three of those players (Hurkacz, Shapovalov and Tsitsipas) are former top-10 talents, and Griekspoor was just a couple of weeks removed from upsetting Alexander Zverev at the Canadian Masters (which Shelton won).Shelton is 0-3 and has won just one set against Alcaraz in his career, but this represents the best opportunity he’ll get at upsetting the Spanish superstar.
Shelton is in terrific form, he’ll have a massive crowd behind him, and Alcaraz hasn’t really been tested in his return from a long layoff.Shelton’s moneyline is in range f...