Ben Shelton vs Lorenzo Sonego Live Stream & Tips - Sonego the Smart Pick Against Shelton in Paris Clay Battle

Freetips staff

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Last updated: 25 May 2025

Freetips staff 25 May 2025

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Sonego and Shelton have split their past 2 Grand Slam meetings.
Sonego's clay court expertise gives him an edge in this matchup.
If in form, Sonego is highly favored on the clay surface.

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Lorenzo Sonego has the edge over Ben Shelton on clay (credit: Getty)

Ben Shelton vs Lorenzo Sonego Preview

These two have already faced each other twice at Grand Slams. Lorenzo Sonego came out on top at the French Open, while Ben Shelton got his revenge at the Australian Open earlier this year. That’s pretty much how you’d expect it to go, with Sonego holding the clear advantage on clay.

There’s definitely good value on Sonego at the current odds. If he can step up from his recent performances and bring his A-game, he’s got what it takes to take charge of this matchup on clay against Shelton.

Ben Shelton vs Lorenzo Sonego Preview
Head-to-Head
Ben Shelton Overview
Ben Shelton Form
Lorenzo Sonego Overview
Lorenzo Sonego Form

Head-to-Head

Year	Event	Surface	Round	Winner	Score
2025	Australian Open	Hard	QF	Shelton	6-4 7-5 4-6 7-6
2023	French Open	Clay	R1	Sonego	6-4 3-6 6-3 6-3
2022	Cincinnati	Hard	R1	Shelton	7-6 3-6 7-5

Ben Shelton Overview

Current rank: 13
Career high rank: 12
ELO rank: 22
Season record: 15–10
Season record on clay: 5–4
R1 record at the French Open: 1–1
R1 record in slams: 8–2

Ben Shelton Form

Ben Shelton has already gone beyond what he expected to achieve on the European clay swing, and anything more from this stretch is just a bonus. He gave himself a shot at the title in Munich last month, which turned out to be his best showing on red clay so far.

Even though he's been pushing for a spot in the top 10 for a while now, Shelton has played fewer than 50 matches on clay in his career. That just shows how inexperienced and untested he still is on this surface.

The young American has wasted no time making his mark at Grand Slams, having already reached the quarterfinals or better at three of them. But he's yet to crack the second week at Roland Garros, which is the only Slam where he still hasn't hit that milestone.

He got his first couple of wins at the French Open in the 2024 edition, beating Hugo Gaston and Kei Nishikori before bowing out to Felix Auger Aliassime in the third round.

Lorenzo Sonego Overview

Current rank: 44
Career high rank: 21
ELO rank: 73
Season record: 9–12
Season record on clay: 1–4
R1 record at the French Open: 4–2
R1 record in slams: 16–10

Lorenzo Sonego Form

Hailing from Italy, Lorenzo Sonego has spent plenty of time grinding out wins on red clay, which makes him a better fit for the conditions at the French Open. As expected, his record at this venue is stronger than Ben Shelton's.

Sonego has reached the second week in Paris twice, making it the only Grand Slam where he’s done so on more than one occasion. His first-round record here is also solid, standing at 4 wins and 2 losses.

That said, despite the natural advantages he has on clay, his recent form and preparation coming into this week are a bit worrying. He has played five matches on clay in the past few weeks and lost four of them, including three defeats to players ranked lower than him.

Verdict

Ben Shelton v Lorenzo Sonego

Sonego and Shelton have split their two Grand Slam meetings, with Sonego winning in Paris and Shelton returning the favour in Melbourne. Given the surface, the edge swings back to the Italian.

If Sonego finds his rhythm, there’s real value backing him. His clay court craft could well be the difference here.