By Michael Leboff
Ben Shelton鈥檚 game is big. It鈥檚 aggressive. And it is built for the bright lights at Grand Slams.
The American has played in 11 majors in his career, and he鈥檚 already been to a pair of semifinals and three quarterfinals.
This is Shelton鈥檚 third trip to Wimbledon, a place where he鈥檚 yet to make it out of the fourth round in two times of asking.
That鈥檚 nothing to be ashamed of, but it does pale in comparison to his work on the hard courts in Australia and in Flushing.
You鈥檇 think Shelton鈥檚 game should translate well to the grass at the All England Club, but the surface has tripped him up in his career. The former Florida Gator is 8-11 in his career on the lawn, which is his worst winning percentage of the three surfaces on the ATP Tour.
Shelton would have hoped for a more straightforward draw in Round 1 of Wimbledon this year, but he drew grass-court specialist Alex Bolt instead.
Oddsmakers are still siding with Shelton, making him a -345 favorite over the Aussie, but this is a trickier matchup than it looks.
Wimbledon: Shelton vs. Bolt pick
Bolt, 32, is one of a few players in the sport who specializes in grass-court tennis. The native of South Australia has played 134 professional matches on the lawn, which is more than just about any other player in this field outside of Novak Djokovic and Dan Evans.
In terms of talent, there is no question that Shelton is the A-side of this matchup, but Bolt鈥檚 vast experience on this surface should close the gap considerably.
Shelton will try to serve right through Bolt, but if he鈥檚 not able to do that, this match could turn into a roller coaster, and that favors the Australian.
Shelton, who cracked the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time in his career right before Wimbledon, likely has too much talent for Bolt, but this could turn into a marathon.
If Bolt is able to drag Shelton into the deep end of the pool, all bets are off.
The Play: Over 4.5 sets (+275), Bolt to win in five sets (+850)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.