Quarterfinal spots in Acapulco will be at stake on Wednesday, when Ben Shelton and Stefanos Tsitsipas are among those taking the court. Shelton and Tsitsipas are set for respective encounters with Matteo Arnaldi and Flavio Cobolli.
Ben Shelton vs. Matteo Arnaldi
Shelton battled into round two of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel the hard way, outlasting Dan Evans in a three-set thriller on Monday. The world No. 17 failed to convert triple-match point at 5-4 in the third set, got broken to love at 5-5, broke back to force a tiebreaker, and won it 7-5 to prevail after two hours and 45 minutes. Shelton is now 7-4 this season, with semifinal showings in Auckland and Dallas.
Up next for the 21-year-old on Wednesday is a first-ever meeting with Arnaldi, who had late-night duties on Monday and also went three sets. The 23-year-old Italian upset No. 4 seed Taylor Fritz 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, using one break in the decide to triumph in two hours and 32 minutes. Arnaldi is just 2-2 on this North American swing, however, with losses to Rinky Hijikata (Delray Beach) and Max Purcell (Los Cabos). This is a tough matchup for the underdog, as conditions in Acapulco are great for Shelton’s game and the American will likely raise his level even higher now that he has a hard-fought victory under his belt.
Pick: Shelton in 3
(Q) Flavio Cobolli vs. (5) Stefanos Tsitsipas
Cobolli has already been one of the breakout stars on tour in 2024 and things are only getting better for him in Acapulco. The 21-year-old Italian advanced to the third round of the Australian Open as a qualifier and then reached quarterfinals in Montpellier and Delray Beach. He has since qualified for both of the Mexico tournaments–Los Cabos and Acapulco. Cobolli beat Brandon Holt and Constant Lestienne to get into the main draw before upsetting Felix Auger-Aliassime 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Monday.
Standing in the world No. 69’s way of the quarterfinals is Tsitsipas, who opened with a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Roman Safiullin. The 12th-ranked Greek may not be in his best form these days, but he loves playing in Mexico. He is 8-2 lifetime in Acapulco and has never lost prior to the semis, plus he is 6-1 in Los Cabos with a title last summer. All signs point to Tsitsipas staying hot south of the border.
Pick: Tsitsipas in 2
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