An all-American showdown will take place in the 2024 Houston Open final, as Ben Shelton will face defending champion Frances Tiafoe.
Tiafoe hasn't won too many trophies in his career, but one of those came last year at the Houston Open, which was a pretty impressive run. The American showcased his skill again by making the final this year, and now he has a chance to win the event in back-to-back years.
It would be a much-needed triumph for Tiafoe, who hasn't looked that good on the court this year. Some even noted that he doesn't seem to enjoy tennis much at the moment, which would be a shame because Tiafoe is at his best when he's enjoying himself out there on the court.
Things have been quite different for Shelton, who loves every minute of it, albeit with mixed results. He never played a final on clay before, so this is a big one, especially going up against a much-experienced player who happened to lift the trophy last year.
Head-to-head:
They played only once before, at the US Open last year. Shelton was able to overcome Tiafoe in four sets, in what seemed to be a career-turning match for both. The courts in Houston play quite well for good servers, and Shelton has barely had his serve touched.
Tiafoe certainly plays well on his serve as well, so a few tiebreaks wouldn't be shocking. Last year's final basically had two tiebreaks, and I wouldn't be surprised if we get it again.
| Ben Shelton | Frances Tiafoe | |
| 1 | H2H | 0 |
| 16 | Rank | 21 |
| 21 | Age | 26 |
| 14-7 | 2024 W/L | 10-7 |
| 43-34 | Career W/L | 187-172 |
Prediction:
Oddly enough, I trust the less experienced Shelton to get less frustrated with that and win the match. I do think his serve is better and will give him more free points, so he'll win the trophy and match his father's title run from over 30 years ago.
Prediction: Ben Shelton to win in three sets.
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