Get ready tennis enthusiasts for an epic showdown, on Sunday, between two youngsters. A 22-year-old American star, Ben Shelton, is set to go up against Czechia’s 19-year-old Jakub Mensik. The latter has already added a trophy to his cabinet this season, in Miami. On the other hand, Shelton peaked in Munich last week, reaching the summit clash. Going into their R32 face-off at the Madrid Open, the only question doing rounds in the minds of fans must be: who will have the last laugh in order to stretch their run on clay this week? Let’s try to find out!
Ben Shelton v Jakub Mensik: Preview
Ben Shelton kicked off his 2025 season on a phenomenal note down under. In Melbourne, he became the youngest American player, after 22 years, to reach the semis since Andy Roddick in 2003. He continued to perform consistently and made it to the QF of the Indian Wells Masters before his defeat against the eventual winner, Jack Draper. Unfortunately, Shelton had to go through a bad phase where he faced back-to-back first round exits in Miami and then Monte Carlo Masters. However, the 22-year-old didn’t take long to bounce back.
At the BMW Open, he managed to enter the final before losing the chance at the trophy against Alexander Zverev. Coming into the Madrid Open, he beat Argentina’s Mariano Navone in R64. The victory, though, was hard-earned. Shelton lost the first set but fought back to eventually win with a score line of 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3.
Speaking of his Czechian opponent, Jakub Mensik’s 2025 season has been quite consistent. Back in January, he succeeded in entering the QF round of the Brisbane International. He maintained the form with a similar result in his next event in Auckland. Then at the Australian Open, the 19-year-old managed to make it to the third round before losing to Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The next three events in Rotterdam, Acapulco, and Indian Wells were forgettable. He crashed out in R16, R32, and R64 respectively. However, Mensik bounced back in style in Miami.
There, he eventually lifted his maiden ATP 1000 trophy after outplaying 24-time slam king and his idol, Novak Djokovic. In Munich, though, he had to face an early exit after losing to German Yannick Hanfmann. Entering the Madrid Open, the Czechian seems to have regained his winning momentum. He kickstarted his campaign with a straight-set victory (7-6(4), 6-1) over American Ethan Quinn on Friday.
Shelton v Mensik: Head-to-Head
Both players have met on two occasions so far. Currently, the h2h tally is tied at 1-1. Their most recent encounter took place this season itself. Back in January, in R16 of the ASB Classic, Mensik emerged as the winner.
2025 ASB Classic R16: Mensik 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-5
2024 Indian Wells Masters R64: Shelton 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
Prediction: Jakub Mensik to win in three sets
Both the players are almost neck-to-neck in singles stats this season. While Ben Shelton has won 15 of his 23 matches so far (65.21 win percentage), it’s Jakub Mensik who’s got a slight edge. With a better win percentage of 69.56, he’s managed to earn victories in 16 of his 23 encounters. But what about their event history?
The American has appeared twice in Madrid before, in 2023 and 2024. Sadly, he couldn’t leave a lasting impression while crashing out in R64 and R32, respectively. Mensik, on the other hand, has only played once at the ATP 1000 event. Last season, he couldn’t move past R32 because of right arm injury, giving a walkover win to Canada’s Félix Auger-Aliassime. In short, both the ATP pros are yet to make a deep run on the clay surface of Madrid.
Coming onto playing styles, Shelton’s lethal serves with blazing speeds are well known already. In this season alone, he’s hit more than 140 aces! Add to that his solid groundstrokes. The American youngster also prefer to approach the net at times in order to intimidate rivals and keep them under pressure. His forehand and backhand shots are equally effective in earning crucial points.
Speaking of Mensik, he’s known for his big serves, too, alongside solid return shots. Not to forget a reliable drop shot he’s got in his arsenal. He also likes to hit a powerful backhand down the line to dominate his opponents.
Now looking at the stats and overall form this season, the Czechian appears to be the favorite. Having already won a title in 2025, in Miami last month, he’s having a slight advantage over Shelton. While the latter may pose a tough challenge, the former is expected to win R32 in Madrid on Sunday in three sets.
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