Can it live up to the hype?

We have two lefties in good form with a lot of energy...

This is the time of the year when Shelton really peaks at home. Well, of course it has to start in Canada, where he looks almost unbeatable in the medium-slow and bouncy conditions. That's just perfect for Ben... it allows him to have that deadly combination of wall-mode defense, where it looks almost impossible to hit through him. Then, he suddenly unleashes a huge forehand winner after a long rally. Having the ability to defend that well, as well as the power to unleash winners without having to use the opponent's pace- that's a deadly combination; just look at Alcaraz ;) Anyways, we're in New York now, another place that Ben likes. Of course, we have the atmosphere; he thrives on the energy. The conditions are not bad at all either... It's not overly fast, and we also have a decent bounce. He has been tested early on, but a really tough draw, facing Griekspoor and Hurkacz in his first two rounds. We saw a very "intense" celebration after that second-round win against a dangerous Hurkacz... Ben is "locked in"!

However, his draw really does suck, because now he gets to face another very dangerous opponent - Shapovalov. I have found Denis really good since Cincinnati... I've seen the good version of him against Mannarino and Jodar (besides the choke), and then solid wins against Kecmanovic and Van Assche, here at the USO. Shapovalov has a high peak; similar to Shelton, he is athletic and has a lot of power. What stands out to me the most is his consistency in rallies from both wings. He's been able to play at a fast pace with good depth. However, there is certainly something we need to mention, since it's been a big issue in three of his last matches... he gets extremely tight when he has to serve for sets or matches. He lost the match against Jodar from a double break-up in the deciding set, and almost blew the third set against LVA in the same way.

As for the matchup, we have two lefties with big serves and good firepower. Shelton is more reliable in his service games, since he does not have the same double-fault issues as Shapovalov does. I guess that's the way I would describe it overall... both can play amazing offensive tennis, but Shelton is the one who is more clutch and reliable. However, I do not like him in lefty vs lefty matchups, even though I think he's gotten better at it. On the other hand, I find that Shapovalov does not suffer as much when he faces a lefty, so possibly a small advantage for the Canadian there...