Ben Shelton earned his first career ATP 1000 title last week by defeating Karen Khachanov at the National Bank Open in Toronto.
The 22-year-old American's victory is the biggest of his young career, and he'll look to maintain the momentum against stiffer competition in Cincinnati.
Shelton is +2000 on ESPN BET and theScore Bet to win the Cincinnati Open, the final tuneup event ahead of the US Open for most of the top players. He's fifth on the oddsboard behind notables Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, neither of whom competed in Toronto.
Cincinnati Open odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Jannik Sinner | -110 |
| Carlos Alcaraz | +200 |
| Taylor Fritz | +1200 |
| Alexander Zverev | +1400 |
| Ben Shelton | +2000 |
| Holger Rune | +2500 |
| Frances Tiafoe | +4000 |
| Jiri Lehecka | +4000 |
| Joao Fonseca | +4000 |
| Ugo Humbert | +4000 |
| Tommy Paul | +5000 |
🎾Check out Cincinnati Open futures available on ESPN BET and theScore Bet here
Shelton was +900 at the National Bank Open, which put him fourth on the oddsboard behind Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, and Alex de Minaur. Even though his odds are longer, Shelton has received a sizable price adjustment relative to his peers when you account for the addition of Sinner and Alcaraz to the Cincinnati field.
But Shelton's road to the final won't be easy. He's on a collision course to meet Zverev in the quarterfinals, and he'll likely have Alcaraz waiting for him if he advances to the semifinals.
Sinner, the tournament favorite, hasn't played since beating Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. The Italian is the defending Cincinnati Open champion and will look to defend his US Open crown in two weeks. Regarded as the best hard-court player in the world, Sinner is reasonably priced as the odds-on favorite this week.
Cincinnati will also mark Alcaraz's first tournament since Wimbledon. He has never won the Cincinnati Open but owns three ATP 1000 hard-court titles.
Sinner is a -5000 favorite in his round of 32 match against Canadian Gabriel Diallo set for Monday night. Alcaraz is -800 against Hamad Medjedovic, and Shelton is -575 against Roberto Bautista Agut in their respective round of 32 meetings Tuesday.
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