Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton lead the American contingent on Tuesday at the Australian Open in a pair of all-American showdowns. Fritz faces Brooksby, while Shelton goes up against Brandon Nakashima.
(21) Ben Shelton vs. Brandon Nakashima
American Ben Shelton was ranked a career-high 13th in the world last August, but he underperformed at the U.S. Open–where he was defending semifinal points from 2023. He lost in the third round to his friend and Davis Cup teammate Frances Tiafoe. Shelton had some encouraging results last fall, specifically his run to the final in Basel, but hasn’t yet won a match in 2025 yet. He dropped his opening match in Auckland to Jakub Mensik.
Shelton’s first-round opponent at the Australian Open on Tuesday is familiar foe Brandon Nakashima. They squared off twice in 2024 and Shelton won both, but they were tight straight-set wins. Nakashima also had a shaky start to the 2025 season, with a first-round loss in Adelaide and a second-round ouster in Auckland. The former UVA standout is a talented player who had a bit of breakthrough a couple of years ago. He actually out-performed Shelton at the U.S. Open (round of 16 loss to Alexander Zverev).
Provided that Shelton’s serve is firing, Tuesday’s match should go his way, as well. Nakashima doesn’t have the return game to keep up with the No. 21 seed’s monster first serve.
Cheryl pick: Shelton in 4
Ricky pick: Shelton in 4
(4) Taylor Fritz vs. (PR) Jenson Brooksby
Taylor Fritz had a fantastic 2024 season. The top-ranked American was a first-time Grand Slam finalist at the U.S. Open (lost to Jannik Sinner) and a finalist at the Nitto ATP finals (lost to Sinner). The thing that’s missing for Fritz is the elusive major title. He played well at the United Cup earlier this month, winning four of his five matches while showcasing the consistency for which he is known.
Jenson Brooksby has been serving a ban due to missing three doping tests in 2023. He missed the entire 2024 season and made his way into the main draw with a protected ranking. There is no frame of reference for Brooksby’s form, as he hasn’t played in more than a year. He did beat Fritz the only time the two men previously met, but that was back in 2021–before Fritz became the “top player” version of himself. Look for plenty of rust from Brooksby.
Cheryl pick: Fritz in 3
Ricky pick: Fritz in 3
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