Ben Shelton is two victories away from reaching a new career-high ranking this week. The big-serving, effervescent American had an incredible start to his 2025 campaign, reaching a 2nd career Grand Slam semifinal at this Aussie Open.
He disappointed in his next outing in Dallas, capitulating against Jamie Muanr in the 2nd round (nobody saw that one coming). He took a three-week break to recharge his batteries, returning with a really hard-fought 7-6, 7-6 win over Flavio Cobolli (improving to 7-3 for the season). He looked understandably rusty against Cobolli, with 13 aces helping to bail him out of some stressful situations. Shelton will be hoping to reach his 2nd successive Acapulco quarterfinal (he lost to Casper Rudd in the final eight last year).
34-year-old Belgian veteran David Goffin actually enjoyed a bit of a renaissance towards the end of last season, fighting his way back into the top 60 in the world after some consistent results. He won the Ilkley Challenger and would go on to reach the semifinals at Winston Salem. He picked up his most impressive win in ages at the Shanghai Masters, taking down World No.3 Alex Zverev en route to a quarterfinal finish. Unfortunately, Goffin’s Indian summer came to a dramatic end this season: he came into this this tournament with a dreadful 0-5 record for the year. He at least stopped the hemorrhaging in his first-round clash, ending a seven-match losing streak with a efficient, workmanlike straight-sets win over Rinky Hijikata.
The Verdict: Shelton to win in three at 2.55- This will be their first career meeting. This match could be slightly tighter than recent form suggests. These conditions are sticky and humid and could mitigate some of Shelton’s outrageous hitting power. Goffin was really impressive against the mercurial Hijikata, winning 83% of his first-serve points while creating an incredible 15 break-point opportunities. Goffin is a good returner and could pose Shelton some issues. However, the American’s greater firepower should be able to see him through to a three-set win.
