Will Gigante’s gigantic run end in round 3?

Only die-hard tennis fans will have heard of Matteo Gigante before. The Italian is currently ranked 167th in the world and is therefore still largely unknown on the ATP circuit. However, that is likely to change now that he has reached the third round of the 2025 French Open. The 23-year-old recently eliminated former Roland Garros finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in four sets and is now aiming for the next upset. Ahead of the duel between Ben Shelton and Matteo Gigante, betting on the in-form Roman is, of course, once again a big risk.

His opponent from the USA, who is a year younger, could also make personal history on Friday. If the prediction of victory for the world number 13 between Shelton and Gigante comes true, Ben Shelton would also reach the second week in the French capital for the first time in his career. He will certainly benefit from the fact that he is much more rested than his opponent going into this match

Despite this, the bookmakers have also registered the exciting run of the underdog, which means that odds in the region of 1.50 are being offered on Shelton beating Gigante. In view of the pronounced discrepancy in the world rankings and the plus in experience in big matches at Grand Slam tournaments, one could even have assumed a more one-sided assessment of the odds. This makes potential bets on set handicaps in favor of the favorite from Atlanta all the more attractive.

Ben Shelton – Statistics & current form

Ben Shelton has long since established himself as one of the world’s top tennis players. Despite only being 22 years old, “Big Ben” has already reached two Grand Slam semi-finals and also celebrated two tournament victories on the ATP Tour. However, the left-hander still lacks a little consistency at times. Time and again, the top talent has inexplicable lapses against opponents who are actually ranked lower. Especially on clay court, Shelton is therefore regularly good for negative surprises

Many things speak in favor of the non-clay court expert Shelton

In general, the red clay does not suit the risky baseline game of the American, whose father has not only coached him since childhood but is also head tennis coach at the University of Florida. “The Mountain”, as Shelton likes to be called due to his height of 1.93 meters, is defined on the one hand by his power and on the other by his very fast forehand, which is far less of a weapon on the relatively slow clay surface. Nevertheless, the overall package of the 13th-ranked player in the world is, in my opinion, absolutely sufficient to make a prediction on Friday between Shelton and Gigante for the semi-finalist of the Australian Open 2025.

Apart from that, there are two other factors that swing the pendulum in favor of the likeable Sunny Boy. Firstly, Shelton is already playing his seventh third-round match at a Grand Slam tournament and therefore has a clear advantage in terms of experience. Secondly, the 22-year-old only has one match under his belt so far.

In the first round, “Big Ben” needed five sets to put Lorenzo Sonego in his place despite being 2:1 down. However, because his second-round opponent Hugo Gaston was unable to compete, the athlete had four days to recover. Rested, with fresh energy and the recommendation of a tournament win on clay in preparation in Houston, the odds of a handicap triumph also play a major role in my considerations ahead of the Shelton vs. Due to the inconsistency mentioned at the beginning during the year or in the course of a match, the appealing 3.95 in the Betano app on a 3:1 win for Shelton can be considered. With the €20 free bet from Betano, you minimize your betting risk even further

Matteo Gigante – Statistics & current form

Matteo Gigante is currently experiencing the most exciting weeks of his professional career. First, the 23-year-old won the well-staffed Challenger tournament in his home city of Rome at the end of April, thereby making a good leap forward in the world rankings. Two weeks later, the Roman-born player was also in the main draw of the ATP Masters in the Italian capital. Gigante also won his first round match there, but was subsequently eliminated. Nevertheless, the left-hander traveled to Paris with plenty of momentum and good form

Gigante reaches round 3 of a Grand Slam for the first time

Due to his position in the world rankings (167th), the lightweight – Gigante weighs just 68kg at 1.80m – had to struggle through qualifying. However, he was lucky with his draw, so that three wins against Kym, Svajda and Moller were enough to reach the main draw at Roland Garros for the first time. But that was not enough, as he also eliminated the opening hurdle, Benjamin Hassan from Lebanon, with only six games lost in three straight sets and just 98 minutes of play.

The Italian finally celebrated his biggest career success to date in the second round. He achieved a four-set triumph against former French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas. Nevertheless, it has to be said that the Greek top player has been in a form crisis for months and had another bad day. Nevertheless, I am far from downplaying the gigantic Gigante run. To reach the third round of a Grand Slam as number 167 in the world is remarkable and worthy of all honors.

Nevertheless, I assume that the 23-year-old’s dream will come to an end on Friday. On the one hand, after many clay court matches this season, including five matches in one week in Paris, the issue of fitness/fatigue cannot be neglected. On the other hand, Shelton is another very confident opponent who, on a normal day, is likely to dominate his inexperienced opponent from the baseline. I think the underdog can win the set, but ultimately you would be well advised to play the odds on the American between Shelton and Gigante. If “Big Ben” wins the first set, Oddset will offer a solid 1.62.

Ben Shelton – Matteo Gigante Direct comparison / H2H result

Not surprisingly, the two opponents are facing each other for the first time in a direct duel. However, the omens are clear when the world number 13 meets thee 167. Shelton has already won over 5 million dollars in prize money in his career, while Gigante has won around 400,000 dollars so far. The difference in the number of Grand Slam matches he has played also underlines the clear role of favorite for the US-American.

Ben Shelton – Matteo Gigante tip

At almost every Grand Slam tournament, there are players who no one really expects to do well, yet they are enjoying the best moments of their careers. This is exactly what is happening to Matteo Gigante right now. The 23-year-old Roman has qualified for the main draw for only the second time in his career. The world number 167 not only won three qualifying matches, but also the first two rounds against Hassan and Tsitsipas. Against the world number 13, Gigante is still considered the clear underdog in this duel between two left-handers.

Although Ben Shelton is far from being a clay court expert, his powerful groundstrokes combined with his greater talent should be enough to reach the second round at Roland Garros for the first time. The American is only playing his second match in the third round, while his opponent already has five matches under his belt. That’s exactly why my Shelton vs. Gigante tip is for the favorite to win by at least two sets. The set handicap (-1.5) is offered at 1.85 at Bwin, which I’m betting six out of a possible ten units on.