Shelton vs Menshik. ATP Auckland match betting tip
Shelton and Menshik will meet in the second round of the tournament in Auckland on January 8. The confrontation between Shelton and Menshik promises to be interesting. The American, motivated by the defense of last year's semifinal, has a more powerful serve and an aggressive style of play. Jakub will have to make every effort to neutralize Ben's strengths. What bets should you pay attention to in this pair? - bets on this match are in our betting tip

Command Analysis

Ben Shelton

Current form
Shelton will play his first match of the new season. Last year, let us recall, Ben ended with a defeat to Thanasi Kokkinakis in the Davis Cup. Last year, the American won 22 victories and suffered 13 defeats on open hard courts.
Professional qualities
Shelton is one of the most exciting and spectacular tennis players on the modern tour. The American is one of those players who regularly deliver spectacular shots. His main assets include a powerful first serve. However, his accuracy in hitting the square leaves much to be desired, which often leads to double faults. It is also worth highlighting Ben's forehand, which is the American's key weapon and allows him to finish rallies in his favor.
Current indicators in the tour
Shelton is the 21st racket in the world. Last season, the American added to his trophy case by winning the home tournament in Houston, which was held on clay. In the final of that competition, Ben beat his compatriot Francis Tiafoe. For Ben, this was the second ATP title in his career.
Interesting facts for betting
Shelton, as we recall, is defending last year’s semi-final on the courts of Oakland.

Jakub Mensik

Current form
Menshik beat Pablo Carreno Busta (6-2, 4-6, 7-5) in the first round of the competition in Auckland. Jakub hit 18 aces, converted three break points and lost one game on his serve in the match against the Spanish tennis player. For the Czech, this was the third victory this season with one defeat.
Professional qualities
Menshik is a young Czech tennis player with a powerful first serve who prefers to act aggressively and impose his game on his opponents. Jakub's weak point is psychological instability. The Czech often loses matches that are going in his favor, losing concentration at decisive moments.
Current indicators in the tour
Menshik has had a pretty good start to this season, having managed to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament in Brisbane right away. Last year, on open hard courts, we recall, Jakub played in the final of the challenger in Canberra and reached the decisive match at the tournament in Doha. In the world rankings, the Czech tennis player is in 49th place.
Interesting facts for betting
Menshik has won 6 of his last 8 matches on open hard courts.
Trends
Rate Set Result: 1>2
In 3 of Shelton's last 5 matches, events on the court have unfolded according to this scenario
2.47Bet Tie-break in the match - yes
This bet has played in 3 of Menshik's 5 previous matches
1.39Tip and bets
Shelton is motivated to defend last year's semifinal on the courts of Auckland. The American is also probably planning to prepare as best as possible for the upcoming Australian Open, and for this he needs game practice. We believe that the American will still beat Menshik.
Our prediction is Shelton's victory with odds of 1.75
Bet on total
Last season, the tennis players had a face-to-face match in the tournament in Indiana Wales. That match was played in three sets. We expect that the upcoming match between Shelton and Menshik will also be a struggle.
The second betting tip is total over 24 games for odds of 1.85
Bet on the first set
In three of Menshik's last five matches, the first set was played to more than 9.5 games. We believe that the upcoming meeting with Shelton will also start with a high first set.
Betting Tip - total over 9.5 games in the first set for odds of 1.36