It’s quarterfinal day at Flushing Meadows, and the matchup’s today won’t disappoint! Carlos Alcaraz vs. Ben Shelton is the big game o the evening and we also have an all American meeting in Frances Tiafoe vs. Alex Michelsen.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Ben Shelton
Alcaraz has looked better with every round back from his wrist injury, and he was at his cleanest yet against Tommy Paul, winning 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to stretch his Grand Slam winning streak to 18 matches.
Shelton has looked very solid as well but needed four sets in three straight matches before finally cutting loose against Tsitsipas, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, in what he called his best performance of the tournament.
Alcaraz holds a commanding 3-0 head-to-head lead, with a win on both indoor and outdoor hard-courts as well as on the clay at the French Open last year.
Predictions
Before the tournament, being in Alcaraz draw wasn’t maybe seen with such fear, but the Spaniard has found an extremely high level of play right away following 4 months on the sidelines. Alcaraz enter this match as clear odds favorite at around 1.23 to win the match.
I think Shelton in the current form, that has 3 straight losses against today’s opponent, will like his chances better this time around. However, he will find it much more difficult to break down Carlitos with his attacking game, compared to his recent opponents. The No 3 ranked has looked too good on both forehand and backhand and can deal with this power.
My bet: Alcaraz to win in four sets.
Frances Tiafoe vs Alex Michelsen
Tiafoe continues his great form and produced one of the best wins of his career in the last round, taking down 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev in a tight three-setter, 7-6(1), 6-4, 7-6(6), to reach the quarterfinals in New York for the fourth time in five years.
Michelsen has been one of the big surprises of the tournament on the men’s side, becoming the first unseeded man this century to reach the US Open quarterfinals without dropping a set, beating two seeded players, Nakashima and Etcheverry, along the way and in an impressive way. More on Michelsen’s racquet.
Tiafoe holds a 2-0 head-to-head lead here, both wins in straight sets. Their last meeting was on the clay in Houston last season.
Predictions
Michelsen’s run has been remarkable and it’s not easy to bet against him in this event seeing the form he’s in and with what confidence he seems to have right now. However, I will still do this as I think it’s a bad matchup for him and today’s opponent has raised his level to a point where he’s a constant threat even for the top ranked players.
Tiafoe is the bookies favorite and I don’t think we’ll get an upset in this match.
My bet: Tiafoe to win in four sets.
