French Open 2023: Ben Shelton vs Lorenzo Sonego preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Roland Garros

Match Details

Fixture: (30) Ben Shelton vs Lorenzo Sonego

Tournament: French Open 2023

Round: First round (Round of 128)

Venue: Paris, France

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor clay

Prize money: €49,600,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, NBC Sports, Peacock TV | Canada - TSN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Ten

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Ben Shelton vs Lorenzo Sonego preview

Ben Shelton at the 2023 Italian Open.

World No. 35 Ben Shelton will face off against Lorenzo Sonego in the first round of the 2023 French Open.

Shelton got off to a winning start at the Estoril Open by defeating Constant Lestienne in the first round. He then lost to former US Open champion Dominic Thiem in the next round. The young American failed to win a single match at the three Masters tournaments in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome.

Shelton did perform slightly better elsewhere. He made it to the second round of the Barcelona Open before losing to Casper Ruud in straight sets. His best result came at the Challenger event in Italy, where he reached the semifinals. His most recent tournament was the Geneva Open, where he crashed out in the first round.

Meanwhile, after failing to win consecutive matches on the red dirt in his first three tournaments, Sonego snapped that trend at the Italian Open. He scored wins over Jeremy Chardy and Yoshihito Nishioka to reach the third round. The 28-year-old was shown the door by Stefanos Tsitsipas after that.

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Ben Shelton vs Lorenzo Sonego head-to-head

Shelton leads Sonego 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2022 Western & Southern Open in three sets.

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Ben Shelton vs Lorenzo Sonego odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Ben Shelton	+250	-1.5 (+320)	Over 38.5 (-130)
Lorenzo Sonego	-190	+1.5 (-550)	Under 38.5 (-110)

(Odds sourced from BetMGM)

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Ben Shelton vs Lorenzo Sonego prediction

Lorenzo Sonego at the 2023 Italian Open.

Competing in his first clay season on the ATP tour, Shelton has been far from impressive. He's got the fighting spirit, but he's still learning to adapt to the surface. With just a couple of wins under his belt on the main tour over the last few weeks, the young American has a long way to go before he's a credible threat on the red dirt.

Sonego, on the other hand, is quite at home on clay. He has won a title on the surface and made it to the fourth round of the French Open in 2020. He's a great mover on the surface and is able to hit quite well off either wing to take control of the points.

Shelton's serve is a huge asset and can keep him in contention. But clay often negates the advantage big servers like him possess. In the end, Sonego's experience on the surface should help him make it to the next round.

Pick: Lorenzo Sonego to win in straight sets.