US Open in New York, semifinals, Friday, 08.09.2023
Newcomer challenges the most successful player of all time at the 2023 US Open. Ben Shelton will face Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. For the US-American it is the first semifinal ever at a major.
For the “Djoker,” who is almost twice his age, a semifinal at a Grand Slam has become routine. Will he show the 20-year-old the limits? I’ll get into that in my Shelton Djokovic tip.
He’ll definitely have the fans on his side in the semifinals, Shelton is the last hope for local fans at the US Open, at least as far as the men are concerned.
Along the way he has bowled two of his countrymen out of the tournament, Tommy Paul (6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4) and Frances Tiafoe (6-2, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2). Those who bet on it could clear some money in the last few days.
After all, he was considered an underdog in both matches with odds of around 3.00. He is used to this role and will now occupy it again against Djokovic.
This time, his odds are three times as high. Bet3000 gives Shelton a 9.50, Djokovic’s final appearance is considered a sure thing at 1.05.
And quite rightly so. The record Grand Slam winner only showed how well he works against forehand power tennis again against Taylor Fritz. 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 was the final result.
He makes fewer mistakes than anyone else. Only if Shelton were to hit almost every risky winning shot could he defeat Djokovic.
But the oddsmakers don’t even trust him to do that over the course of a set. The 3:0 is by far the most likely outcome of the match.
In fact, Djokovic has only needed more than three sets in one of his five matches. Against Laslo Djere, he struggled in the first two rounds but bounced back impressively.
In 2023, Djokovic was hard to beat. He won 43 of his 48 matches. With the success in Cincinnati, it is now ten wins in a row.
In recent months in particular, Djokovic has played the competition into the ground. 24 matches and only one defeat, the final of Wimbledon against Carlos Alcaraz.
On the hardcourt this year it was 25 wins from 26 matches. Only Daniil Medvedev, who spoiled his 2021 Grand Slam, was able to beat him outright in two sets in Dubai.
At the US Open, he has so far been able to save the entire set length. 17 sets and no tiebreak, yet a strong 1.65 odds awaits for under 0.5 tiebreaks in the match at Interwetten.
A strong bet. After all, Djokovic took at least five service games from his competitors in each of his matches. In the entire tournament, he only conceded seven himself.
My Shelton Djokovic Tip
Djokovic’s numbers are once again outstanding in 2023. When he was able to play up to his potential, was not to be beaten in any set at the US Open, he was also able to avoid the tiebreak.
Shelton is one of the new stars on hardcourt. We will now see him more often in the decisive rounds of the Australian and US Open. But his game is not yet mature enough to defeat the sophisticated Djokovic.
Against Tiafoe and Paul, he hit a total of 20 double faults. Nevertheless, a set win could be in the cards with his fast game and a weak phase from Djokovic. However, with the many breaks in the matches of both players, the 7-6 is very likely to be missed.
My Shelton Djokovic tip: No tiebreak!
