Ben Shelton vs Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard Prediction: Battle of Momentum and Power; Shelton Eyes Redemption Against Mpetshi Perricard

In the pulsating finale of the ATP 500 tournament in Basel, two upcoming stars, Ben Shelton of the USA, and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of France are all set to lock horns on 27th October 2024. Shelton, ranked ATP #23, has an enviable form of eight wins in the last ten matches, with a very recent victory against Arthur Fils by 2-0. Meanwhile, Mpetshi Perricard will rise to ATP #50 with his fourth consecutive victory, most notably against top seed Holger Rune. This has all the makings for a real power struggle with a lot of momentum and possibly even personal stakes as Mpetshi Perricard holds a 1-0 head-to-head advantage over Shelton after defeating him in straight sets at the ATP London earlier this year.

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard leads 1-0, as he defeated them in their only outing in straight sets in the ATP London tournament in June 2024. This past victory brings a lot of emotional baggage into this final, too, as Shelton will be more than keen to set the record straight and level their rivalry.

This Basel final is more than just about a title; it's a testing ground for two of the most promising players on the tour. The quite astonishing rise of Ben Shelton has been marked by his booming serve and fearless court positioning. His recent victory over Arthur Fils in straight sets underlined his tactical maturity when he skated past the few pressure points without many problems.

His way into the match is likely going to be his powerful left-handed serve and aggressive baseline game. The fact that he can always produce winners off his forehand and also hit approach shots makes him dangerous on the faster courts. He reached such a high first-serve percentage and closed out many points at the net. Against Perricard, who likes extended baseline exchanges, Shelton will be trying to shorten the points and not get into too-long rallies.

On the other side of the net, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard sent shock waves through the audience and analysts with his gut-wrenching defeat of Holger Rune, 6-7, 4-6. Pericard's dogged spirit and sense of tactical awareness gave him victory and brought him into sharp focus as a player who could very capably disrupt rhythm. This is a contest that promises to be very intense from the very first game between two players in fine fettle.

A more measured and consistent baseliner, Perricard will try to exploit the more aggressive propensities of Shelton with consistent and deep returns-of-service. A counterpuncher by nature, Perricard will look to extend points on both wings of his opponent-challenging mobility and endurance. He will also have to police service games closely without ever allowing any kind of rhythm to Shelton-particularly off second serves.

One cannot but notice the form Shelton is in. The stuff his serves have been made of, in the rounds of late, there are hardly any breaks, and he has maintained consistency in rallies even when under pressure.

Shelton's forceful game, his flat, hard strokes, should be particularly suited to Basel's indoor courts. If he can continue serving first at an extremely high percentage, he's likely to keep Perricard back on his heels.

While Perricard has already proved capable of holding his own against power hitters, mid-match adjustments could prove disruptive enough to upset the rhythm of the opposition courtesy of Shelton.

• Over 23.5 Games @ 1.69 Odds
• Ben Shelton (-2.5) Games Handicap @ 2.11 Odds
• Ben Shelton Wins 2-1 @ 3.40 Odds