Top seed Ben Shelton will continue his campaign on the red clay of Houston against Brandon Nakashima during quarterfinal action on Friday. The winner will face either Tomas Martin Echeverry or Michael Mmoh in the semis.
(1) Ben Shelton vs. Brandon Nakashima
Shelton and Nakashima will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they collide in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship on Friday. At No. 16 in the world, Shelton is the No. 1 seed in Houston. Of course, his climb up the rankings has nothing to do with any clay-court results. The 21-year-old American played a whopping eight events during the 2023 dirt season and had nothing more than a Challenger semifinal appearance to show for his efforts. Following a first-round bye in Houston, Shelton advanced to his first ATP quarterfinal on clay by beating Zizou Bergs 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Wednesday night.
Nakashima is also at his best on hard courts, but he at least has 18 professional clay-court victories under his belt. That includes Houston defeats of Duje Ajdukovic and Rinky Hijikata–both by exact same 6-1, 6-4 decisions. Following a 2023 slump, Nakashima went back to the Challenger circuit earlier this season and across all levels he has already picked up 24 wins this season. With confidence restored and two dominant performances in Houston, Nakashima should have the edge over Shelton on this surface.
Pick: Nakashima in 3
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(4) Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs. (WC) Michael Mmoh
Etcheverry advanced to a pair of ATP finals last year, both on clay–including at this same Houston tournament. There is no reason why the 24-year-old Argentine can’t go all the way this time around and secure his first ATP title. Etcheverry is already an accomplished clay-courter, and his 2023 exploits included a run to the French Open quarterfinals. The world No. 30 suffered a setback in the form of an ankle injury two months ago in Buenos Aires, but he appears to be back in business with a 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Daniel Elahi Galan on Thursday.
Up next for Etcheverry on Thursday is a third encounter with Mmoh. They have split their two previous meetings, each one coming on clay; Mmoh prevailed 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 at the 2022 Tallahassee Challenger before Etcheverry got the job done 7-6(6), 6-3 in 2022 Lyon qualifying. Mmoh advanced to the last eight in Houston by beating Juan Pablo Varillas and Max Purcell in straight sets. Those are decent victories for the 123rd-ranked American, but on this surface Etcheverry represents a sizable step up in competition.
Pick: Etcheverry in 2
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Shelton for sure. Especially at even odds. Nakashima would have to seize the win, which he has not shown that tenacity to do so for quite some time. If he lets Shelton hang around, and conserve his energy, its gonna bite him. Both are American, one lefty, one right, one is a star in the making, the other not so much.
you aren’t taking the surface enough into account