Ben Shelton vs Radu Albot – Citi Open Washington Tennis Prediction and Pick 7/31/24

Second seed Ben Shelton will face Moldova qualifier Radu Albot in the second round of the 2024 Citi Open in Washington. The match is scheduled for Wednesday, July 31, 2024. Here’s our Ben Shelton vs Radu Albot prediction.

Ben Shelton vs Radu Albot Preview

Ben Shelton’s decision to withdraw from the Olympic Games in favor of an early start to the North American hard-court swing has not been vindicated so far. Shelton started his summer adventure in Atlanta this past week, where he was touted as the overwhelming favorite for the title. But the 21-year-old massively underperformed, losing his first match there to Chinese teenager Shang Juncheng in straight sets.

He is returning to Washington to atone for that defeat and also last year’s early exit at this same tournament (also lost Shang 12 months ago). The World No. 14 can rack up some valuable points at his home tournament ahead of a pivotal moment in his season in August and September.

Radu Albot has already secured sufficient game time at the Citi Open. The Moldovan veteran won two qualifying matches this past weekend to reach the main draw of a had-court tournament on the ATP Tour for the first time since February. 

Albot had the advantage of using his versatility on the surface to beat clay-court specialist Facundo Diaz Acosta in straight sets. In the victory, he converted three of 10 break points to win 7-6, 6-3 in over two hours.

Ben Shelton vs Radu Albot Head-To-Head

• Shelton and Albot have no history, so this will be their first official meeting on the ATP Tour.

Ben Shelton vs Radu Albot Prediction

Albot has done some commendable work to reach this stage, but his first-round performance was hardly convincing despite beating Diaz Acosta in straight sets. His serve was all over the place, and it was only because the Argentinian fared worse on the day that he came through decisively. Shelton will feast on his delivery, and the American will not be gifting him any points on his own serve. I expect Shelton to bounce back very strongly in this one.

Nur Said's Pick: Ben Shelton in straight sets