Winner to face either Zverev or Marozsan in the final.
When an enormous serving machine like Ben Shelton comes face-to-face with a clay court savant such as Francisco Cerundolo, all hell will break loose. At the 2025 BMW Open in Munich, the American battles the Argentine for a spot in the grand final on Sunday. Can No. 2 seed Shelton continue to prove his mettle on the iconic German red dirt? The winner will face either Alexander Zverev or Fabian Marozsan in the final.
For Ben Shelton, the arrival of the clay court season is possibly a bitter-sweet feeling – while the 22-year-old has already made a doubles quarterfinal and singles semifinal, it isn’t his preferred surface. Nonetheless, he has won nearly 77% service games on clay. Shelton lost 7-6(2) 2-6 1-6 in the Round of 64 in Monte Carlo, to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. He has beaten Gojo, Van de Zandschulp and Darderi to reach the semis in Munich.
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World No. 22 Francisco Cerundolo slides into his clay court campaigns just like he does on court – ultra smooth. The 26-year-old thrashed Fabio Fognini at the Principality, before suffering a narrow loss to eventual winner Carlos Alcaraz. Cerundolo dropped just two games in his opening round against defending champion Struff here in Munich. With a 9-4 record on clay this year, his wins against Shevchenko and Goffin without dropping a set are unsurprising.
Ben Shelton leads the head to head against Francisco Cerundolo 1-0. Their one and only meeting was at the 2024 Indian Wells Masters.
Saturday’s semifinal meeting will be the first time Shelton and Cerundolo lock horns on clay. They have contrasting game styles – while the American likes to keep the rallies short and power through with his flat forehand, Cerundolo mixes things up. Having met in the Indian Wells Round of 32 last year, southpaw Shelton huffed and puffed to a thrilling win.
EventRoundWinnerScore2024 Indian WellsRound of 32Ben Shelton7-6(5) 3-6 7-6(5)
Ben SheltonCategoryFrancisco Cerundolo0Grand Slams02ATP Singles Titles30ATP Doubles Titles00Masters-1000 Titles01ATP-500 Titles0–Olympics Best PerformanceR3 (Paris 2024)No. 15Current World RankingNo. 22
Ben Shelton will come out firing from the very first point, looking to upset the rhythm of Cerundolo. However, the Argentine can play the waiting game and ease into the encounter. He is likely to resort to some drop shots, as well as targeted top spins to the Shelton backhand. Whether or not he can neutralise the leftie’s heavy kick serve consistently enough, will determine the result of this clash.
Prediction: Francisco Cerundolo in three sets.
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Ben Shelton Win: 9/4
Francisco Cerundolo Win: 1/3
