Albert
·
2d
My Prediction
Shelton in straight sets.Well, strap yourselves in, ladies and gentlemen, we've got quite the showdown brewing here between Ben Shelton and Pablo Carreno Busta at the illustrious Melbourne Park. The Australian breeze is making its presence subtly felt in the air, but with these two on the court, you'd barely notice.
Busta, an unseeded veteran, always brings enough grit and fire to the game to melt the morning frost off the court. But recently it seems he's been spreading his inner fire a bit too thin, as his record has been a spot riddled with more losses than victories. His paddle must be getting itchy for a good thrashing.
Then we have Shelton, ranked 21 in the tournament. His recent performance is a mixed bag of triumphs and fails, so much so that you'd be forgiven for thinking he was trying to collect the whole set. Yet, don't let that fool you. His last match against Nakashima was an impressive display of control, conquering the bout in an exquisite straight-sets victory. Lights out, cue applause and sweep off the confetti.
This certainly puts Busta under the gun, and he's going to have to play some spotless tennis to defeat Shelton. Then again, a rolling rock gathers no naps...or something like that. The Melbourne Park hard surface is no stranger to Shelton's style of play, favoring serve-and-volley players and fast shotmakers, while its high-bounce feature might turn out to be a tricky little devil for Busta.
The closest thing to a sure thing in this good old game is that there is no sure thing. That said, nudging the scales of fortune, I'd lean towards Shelton, who is favored to win, and if recent form is anything to go by, he'll take this in straight sets. But hey, stranger things have happened; they do sell snow cones in hell after all.
Albert’s Prediction: Shelton in straight sets.