Arthur Cazaux vs Ben Shelton Prediction: Cazaux's Home Advantage vs. Shelton's Power Game: Who Will Prevail in Paris?

The final ATP 1000 event of the year, the Paris Masters, reaches critical phases in which home talent Arthur Cazaux faces off against upward-bound American talent Ben Shelton in the Round of 16. This will be high-intensity action coupled with tactical depth, as local boy Cazaux attempts to cash in on the energy from the crowd, while the dogged Shelton attempts to battle his way even further into the tournament. Both men have recorded strong recent marks, with each posting a 7-3 in their last ten, but after Cazaux came through a tough loss to Fabio Fognini and Shelton came through a battling win over Corentin Moutet, there are plenty of questions over how each player's form will carry across to the Parisian hard courts.

Arthur Cazaux has shown pretty good form during the last period, considering he showed resilience and great shot-making, and because of it he got into the top 100 for the first time in the ATP ranking. Lack of experience with Masters series events can be something that stops Cazaux from going far in Paris. However, having played in Paris already can be a big plus for him along with his determined playstyle. On the other hand, his loss to Fognini in qualifying indicates some sort of fragility, particularly under pressure.

To take out Shelton, Cazaux will need to rely on his solid baseline game and his defensive skills. The Frenchman tends to adopt a patient approach, looking to make conditions perfect for a counter-attack rather than to attack, a tactic which could pay dividends if Shelton becomes impatient or his shots begin to lose steam. Expect the rallies to be long as Cazaux looks to wear out Shelton and waits out his opponent's mistakes. His only advantages will be the energy of the home crowd for his confidence and in trying to keep mental cool when Shelton starts to push.

Ben Shelton has been greatly improving this season, using his powerful game, serve, and aggressive mentality to rocket up the ATP rankings to a career-high 19. With his explosive style of play, the American is always quick to change the momentum of a match and will hope for an early stranglehold as he tries to keep Cazaux on the back foot with his powerful forehand and serve. This match will be exciting in terms of young and aggressive players who want to express themselves on the pitch.

Aggression would be the name of the game tactically for Shelton. He will likely utilize his powerful first serve to try and slam the door on points in rapid time to not give much opportunity to counter-attack for Cazaux. Shelton probably will try to boss the point with his forehand and finish at the net where he can. He will be trying to keep Cazaux on the back foot to control the flow of the match and prevent too-long baseline-to-baseline exchanges. Whether Shelton can maintain his power game without falling prey to unforced errors, Cazaux will cash in on those lapses in precision.

That means this will be a first-career meeting between Arthur Cazaux and Ben Shelton, adding something to the unpredictability of the match. Since neither of the opponents knows how the other is playing, both players will have to make some in-game tactical shifts. Also, given his recent rise into the top levels of the ATP ranking and experience against higher-level competition, Shelton might have a slight edge psychologically, but local conditions could balance those scales for Cazaux.

Set against each other, the styles of these two players contrast the patient and methodical approach of Cazaux with the high-risk, high-reward power game of Shelton. The faster conditions of the Paris hard courts might favor the athleticism and heavy serve of Shelton, but Cazaux has been playing well of late, and his tactical awareness suggests he is not going to be any easy target. This is a good omen that he is prepared for such tightly contested affairs, and his top-20 ranking speaks to consistent success at this level of play.

• Ben Shelton Wins & Over 20.5 Games @ 1.89 Odds
• Ben Shelton Wins First Set & Match @ 1.55 Odds
• Ben Shelton Wins 2-1 @ 3.40 Odds