A quarterfinal spot will be at stake when Felix Auger-Aliassime and Learner Tien clash at the Halle ATP 500 on Wednesday. First-round competition is also wrapping up with a showdown between Ben Shelton and Lorenzo Sonego.
Learner Tien vs. (2) Felix Auger-Aliassime
Auger-Aliassime’s performances on grass have been a mixed bag over the years. Twice the fourth-ranked Canadian has finished runner-up in Stuttgart, but his last four Wimbledon results are first round, first round, first round, and second round. Auger-Aliassime’s current grass-court swing is off to a mediocre start, as he lost to eventual runner-up Kamil Majchrzak in the ‘s-Hertogenbosch quarterfinals before beating Nuno Borges 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in round one of the Terra Wortmann Open.
Up next for Auger-Aliassime on Wednesday is a first-ever meeting with Tien, who defeated Max Schoenhaus 6-2, 6-4 on Monday. The 19th-ranked American is coming off a stellar clay-court season, during which he won the Geneva title and reached the third round at Roland Garros before falling to eventual finalist Flavio Cobolli. Tien may be a grass-court novice compared to Auger-Aliassme, but the left-hander’s style should work extremely well on this surface. Auger-Aliassime could be in trouble.
Pick: Tien in 3
(3) Ben Shelton vs. (LL) Lorenzo Sonego
This was supposed to be Shelton vs. Nick Kyrgios, but the Aussie withdrew because of a knee injury — this after being unable to play a Stuttgart doubles match last week due to illness. Instead, Shelton and Sonego will renew a 2025 rivalry that saw them square off at three of the four Grand Slams. Shelton won all three encounters — two deep in a fourth set and another in five. The fifth-ranked American leads the overall head-to-head series 4-1.
Wednesday’s contest should be more straightforward. Shelton kicked off his grass-court swing with the Stuttgart title, whereas Sonego is mired in a dismal slump. The 65th-ranked Italian has won only four main-tour matches in 2026 and lost to Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-4, 6-4 in Halle qualifying. Two full days off should be enough for Shelton following his exploits in Stuttgart, so count on him maintaining momentum.
Pick: Shelton in 2
WWW?
I’ve come up with another brilliant combination. Zizou and Daniel won’t win a single set, whereas Shimabubu will.
Which one do you think will reduce me to tears?
Looks like Zizou. Fritz is pathetic
routine win for Fritz
Thank you so much for the tip, Anonymous
Shima
Once again, a huge thank you, Ricky
AA in 3; Shelton in 2