Ben Shelton vs Lorenzo Sonego Prediction 5/25/25 French Open Tennis Picks

Ben Shelton and Lorenzo Sonego meet in the first round of the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros. The match is scheduled for Sunday, May 25. Here’s our Ben Shelton vs Lorenzo Sonego prediction. This preview will also include a Ben Shelton vs Lorenzo Sonego pick.

Ben Shelton Preview

Ben Shelton is the 13th seed at the 2025 French Open. This will be his second main draw appearance at Roland Garros. Shelton lost on debut two years ago in the first round to Lorenzo Sonego. Last year, he won his first match at the tournament when he defeated Hugo Gaston in four sets. He went on to make the third round, where he succumbed to Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets. 

Shelton returns to Paris on the back of a 5-4 record on clay. He reached his first European clay-court final in Munich and lost to World No. 3 Alexander Zverev in straight sets. His only match win outside the ATP 500 in Munich was in Madrid, where he beat Mariano Navone. He lost his opening match in Monte Carlo and Rome. Overall, Shelton has compiled a 15-10 record for the season and is ranked in the top 15.

Lorenzo Sonego Preview

Lorenzo Sonego is unseeded at this year’s French Open. The Italian is ranked 44th in the world rankings. Sonego will compete in his seventh Roland Garros main draw. He has twice reached the last 16 before, in 2020 and 2023, and beaten players such as Taylor Fritz, Ugo Humbert and Andrey Rublev. Sonego has also stretched Casper Ruud to five sets in the 2022 edition. So he is a tough customer on the Parisian clay.

But Sonego enters this year’s tournament woefully out of form. He’s won once in four matches, and is coming off a disappointing defeat to 117th-ranked Roman Burruchaga in Rome. Sonego has a negative win-loss record in 2025 with nine wins and 12 defeats in all competitions. 

Ben Shelton vs Lorenzo Sonego Head-To-Head

Shelton and Sonego have met three times. Two of those meeting have come at Grand Slam level. Shelton leads 2-1 and beat Sonego in the quarterfinals of this year’s Australian Open in four sets. Sonego’s win over Shelton came at the 2023 French Open first round. 

Ben Shelton vs Lorenzo Sonego Prediction

This is a first-round match that is simmering with upset potential. Sonego is such a dangerous unseeded player in the draw. He’s beaten Shelton here in the past and also owns a win over Andrey Rublev. He’s an underrated ball striker on clay, where his rally tolerance and shot execution tend to shine the brightest. If you are looking for the safest market to exploit here, then the over 3.5 sets in the match should easily hit, considering the rivalry between these two in the head-to-head, although the real value lies with Sonego to win outright. 

Nur Said's Pick: Over 3.5 sets in the match