ATP Masters in Shanghai, quarterfinals, Thursday, 10/12/2023
A finalist from the USA? There hasn’t been one in the quite short history of the Shanghai Masters so far! In the final phase of the 2023 tennis season, the elite will attack there for the first time since 2019.
A quarterfinal consists of two US-Americans, for both of them the entry into the top 4 in their Shanghai premieres would of course be a great success.
Interesting: At Bet365, both are rated exactly the same! In my Shelton Korda tip, I therefore reveal why I’m betting on a tiebreaker in this match!
One has Daniil Medvedev out, the other Jannik Sinner! When Ben Shelton and Sebastian Korda battle for a spot in the Shanghai semifinals on Friday, they’ll each be looking ahead to big wins.
But first things first, who is the better player here? Shelton is six places ahead of his compatriot in the world rankings, so we can’t really tell by the rankings alone who will come out on top.
Shelton, who has just turned 21, has already indicated with his semi-final finish at the US Open that he wants to stay among the world’s best and reach the top 10.
In Shanghai, he is participating in this Masters for the first time due to the long break, he had come to a 6-4, 6-4 against Jaume Munar to open the tournament. Against Roman Safiullin he had to fight properly, but in the end he was ahead 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 after trailing.
The young American definitely delivered his masterpiece in the round of 16. Facing him was none other than Beijing champion Jannik Sinner, the number 4 in the world!
As expected, Shelton lost the first set 2-6, but then he really turned up the heat and turned the result into a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6! He could have possibly gone even faster had he not taken just one of his ten break chances.
If you think that the young, up-and-coming US boy has already met an identically strong opponent several times, you are wrong, because Shelton and Korda will meet for the first time ever on Friday!
The two countrymen will therefore meet for the first time ever, and according to our bookmakers, with odds of 1.90 no one really has the nose in front of the other, even if it is only very minimally!
Sebastian Korda serves with his right hand, which is already a big difference to his opponent. The offspring of a family of spot-censors did not do any worse than Ben Shelton in Shanghai.
He already proved his form in Astana, after victories over Alexei Popyrin, Nuno Borges, Tallon Griekspoor and Hamad Mededovic he had lost the final unhappily to Adrian Mannarino.
In Shanghai, he got going with a commanding 6-1, 6-4 win over Bu Yunchaokete, closely followed by a great 7-6, 6-2 win over Daniil Medvedev. He left the Russian with just one break chance and fended it off, an incredibly strong performance.
In the round of 16, Korda then also eliminated Francisco Cerundolo, despite a relatively close 7-5, 7-6, he again left it at two sets. He seems to have his nerves absolutely under control, tiebreaks are not lost.
It is also worth mentioning that Korda did not commit a double fault in the last two matches. One break allowed in three games, he really doesn’t have to hide from Ben Shelton!
My Shelton Korda Tip
There will definitely be an American semifinalist in Shanghai, there is absolutely no question about that! Ben Shelton and Sebastian Korda show quite a strong form, with Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner two greats failed to beat the duo.
Who is stronger in total now? I don’t want to answer that after my analysis. Since both won a total of three tiebreaks and stand for quite close results, I decide for the following bet:
Shelton and Korda play at least one tiebreak!
