Second-round action in Mallorca is wrapping up on Wednesday, when Stefanos Tsitsipas kicks off his title defense against Yannick Hanfmann. Ben Shelton and Chris Eubanks are also aiming for a place in the quarterfinals.
(1) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Yannick Hanfmann
Tsitsipas as usual played well on his preferred clay-court surface, but grass has predictably been a different story for him so far this summer. The fifth-ranked Greek exited right away in Stuttgart to Richard Gasquet and then lost his second match in Stuttgart to Nicolas Jarry.
Up first for Tsitsipas at the Mallorca Championships on Wednesday is Hanfmann, whom he has never faced. Hanfmann is also more comfortable on clay, but the 48th-ranked German advanced one round at home in Halle and destroyed Pedro Cachin 6-2, 6-1 on Monday. Although an upset certainly isn’t out of the question, chances are good that Tsitsipas will be motivated enough to win. The top seed is short on grass-court matches heading into Wimbledon, plus he is the defending champion in Mallorca.
Pick: Tsitsipas in 3
Chris Eubanks vs. (3) Ben Shelton
It will be a battle between Atlanta natives, former college stars, occasional doubles partners, great friends, and also familiar singles foes when Shelton and Eubanks meet again on Wednesday. Last fall they squared off in back-to-back finals of Challenger tournaments (both indoors), with Shelton prevailing 7-6(4), 7-5 in Charlottesville and triumphing one week later in a third-set tiebreaker to lift the Knoxville trophy.
This season has been outstanding for both players. Shelton made a run to the Australian Open quarterfinals and Eubanks has broken into the top 100 for the first time (currently 77th). Grass is a relatively new surface for each man, but Shelton picked up one win last week at Queen’s Club (beat J.J. Wolf, lost to Lorenzo Musetti in three sets) and Eubanks successfully qualified in both Stuttgart and Halle before defeating Alex Michelsen in three tight sets in his Mallorca opener. The margins will be small on grass, but Shelton is the better all-around player right now and should be able to take time away from Eubanks while picking on an inconsistent one-handed backhand.
Pick: Shelton in 3
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