Just a few weeks ago Ben Shelton said, “Americans haven’t had the best success in the clay-court season or at Roland Garros. But it’d be really cool to change that narrative.” Andre Agassi was the last American to win the French Open in 1999. No other American players haven’t had much success on this surface over the past few years. But Ben Shelton says he wants to be a little bit different from others. Can he change the narrative this time around on the Parisian soil? 

Well, to move further into the tournament the American tennis star needs to first get the ticket from the Frenchman, Hugo Gaston. Both of them will take on each other in the first round of the 2024 French Open. It’ll be interesting to see how well can Shelton handle the pressure from the French crowd on Monday (May 27).

Ben Shelton vs Hugo Gaston: Preview

The 21-year-old American tennis star had a decent start to his season this year. He has already won a title at the clay-court event in Houston, but Houston’s clay court surface isn’t the same as the European clay. Apart from winning the title over there, Ben Shelton has also reached two SFs and one QF in the rest of his tournaments this year. But he had to face an early exit in his previous tournament in Geneva at the hands of Italy’s Flavio Cobolli. 

Cobolli defeated Shelton by 4-6,7-6(1),6-2 in the R16 of the 2024 Geneva Open. Ben Shelton hit eight aces and committed nine double faults in the entire match. His first serve win percentage was 75% but it dropped to 45% on the second serve. He successfully converted two of his five breakpoints against the Italian. If we look at Shelton’s numbers from this season, the Atlanta native has hit a staggering 219 aces this season and has committed 100 double faults. He has won 87% of his service games and just 16% of his return games. Numbers look quite decent, right?

Talking about the numbers of his French opponent, Hugo Gaston hasn’t played much this season but his best result was reaching the QF in his previous two tournaments this year. Just a few days ago, he took part in the QF match of the 2024 Lyon Open. But in that match, he was defeated by his compatriot Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard by 4-6,6-4,3-6. Gaston hit just a single ace and committed three double faults. His first serve win percentage was 67% but it dropped to 47% on the second serve. Hugo Gaston converted three of his ten breakpoints against Perricard.

Looking at his numbers from this season, Gaston has managed to hit only 22 aces and committed 25 double faults this season. He has won 67%of his service games and 20% of his return games this season. Can his QF run in Lyon give him an edge against the ‘Big Ben‘ in Paris?

Shelton vs Gaston: Head-to-Head

It’s the battle between the two lefties! And tell you what, both the players haven’t yet played against each other in their careers. So, this is really going to be a thrilling contest to watch out for. Both the players will be looking forward to kick-starting their French Open campaign on a winning note. But there is going to be a single winner from this intriguing faceoff. Who’ll it be?

Prediction: Shelton to win in three sets

Ben Shelton currently has a win-loss record of 17-10 this season, while it’s just 4-6 for Hugo Gaston. But the Frenchman’s best record in this tournament came in 2020 when he reached the fourth round at Roland Garros. Ben Shelton could only manage to reach the first round this year. However, Shelton’s form this year will keep him slightly ahead in this contest. He’s a lot more confident on the clay at the moment.

Hugo Gaston is currently placed at the 88th spot in the men’s singles ranking, while Shelton is the world number 15. So, even here, the American has the edge. Ben Shelto displays an aggressive brand of tennis with big serving abilities. He is quite powerful and consistent on both the forehand and backhand side. While Gaston is known for his unique and unorthodox style of play. His biggest weapon is his dropshot and the Frenchman loves to play on the clay court surfaces. So, Hugo Gaston is surely going to be a tricky opponent for Ben Shelton. But defeating Shelton seems to be a tough ask for the 23-year-old French tennis star at the moment.