Americans Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul will begin their Dallas campaigns on Wednesday after benefiting from first-round byes. Shelton opens with compatriot Michael Mmoh, while Paul faces Auckland runner-up Taro Daniel.
Michael Mmoh vs. (3) Ben Shelton
Shelton and Mmoh will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they clash in round two of the Dallas Open on Wednesday night. Their only previous encounter came in 2021 U.S. Open qualifying, where Shelton prevailed 7-6(3), 7-6(5). The 21-year-old has since soared to No. 16 in the world thanks in part to a semifinal run at the 2023 U.S. Open and his first ATP title a few weeks later in Tokyo.
Mmoh got off to a horrible start in 2024, but he began his indoor swing across the pond in Montpellier and delivered a quarterfinal result. Still, the 115th-ranked American has not defeated anyone ranked better than 71st so far this season (Mmoh beat qualifier Emilio Nava 7-5, 6-2 in the Dallas first round). The 26-year-old is a solid player who gets a lot of balls back, but Shelton will likely have way too much firepower on an indoor hard court.
Pick: Shelton in 2
Taro Daniel vs. (2) Tommy Paul
Like Shelton, Paul is looking to build on the best year of his career. Despite not coming close to defending his 2023 Australian Open semifinal points (he lost to Miomir Kecmanovic in five sets during third-round action), Paul still comes in at an impressive No. 15 in the world.
Up first for the second seed on Wednesday night is a fourth meeting with Daniel, who trails the head-to-head series 2-1 (1-1 on the main tour). Daniel’s lone victory came in 2017 before he lost to Paul in both 2022 (a three-setter in Adelaide) and 2023 (6-3, 6-4 in Queen’s Club qualifying). The 31-year-old from Japan did well to get past Constant Lestienne on Monday (the Frenchman retired while trailing 5-0 in the third set), but Paul represents a steep step up in competition. Daniel doesn’t really have anything with which to hurt his opponent, and that’s not a good recipe for success in this matchup since Paul’s defense, consistency, and all-around athleticism are among the best on tour.
Pick: Paul in 2
WWW?