On June 17, 2025, sixth-seeded Ben Shelton will face lucky loser Arthur Rinderknech at Queen’s Club in London in the first round of the ATP 500 HSBC Championships. This tournament marks Shelton’s first match competing as a top 10 player, adding extra significance to his debut on the grass courts of this prestigious venue. The event offers a prize pool of €2,522,220 and is broadcast live in various countries, including the USA, UK, and Canada.
Recent Form and Career Highlights
Ben Shelton enters the tournament following a strong season, highlighted by reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open and making the quarterfinals at Indian Wells, both on hard courts. He transitioned to clay with a promising run to the final of the BMW Open in Munich before falling to Alexander Zverev, the top seed and crowd favorite. Shelton wrapped up his clay season with a competitive fourth-round match at the French Open, where he was defeated by eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in four sets.
Starting his grass-court campaign last week at the Boss Open in Stuttgart, Shelton showed resilience by beating notable players such as Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Jiri Lehecka. Although he lost again to Zverev in the semifinals, this performance secured his entrance into the top 10 rankings for the first time.
In stark contrast, Arthur Rinderknech has struggled throughout the season, arriving at Queen’s Club with a modest tally of only five main draw wins. Rinderknech won a qualifying match against Johannus Monday but was edged out by compatriot Corentin Moutet in the final round. Despite this, he gained entry as a lucky loser into the tournament’s main draw.
Head-to-Head and Match Expectations
This contest between Shelton and Rinderknech will be their first encounter, leaving their head-to-head record at 0-0. Given Rinderknech’s difficulties this year and lack of success against top-ranked opponents, Shelton enters as the clear favorite. Rinderknech has failed to record consecutive wins in 2025, although he did score an upset over No. 30 Denis Shapovalov in Stuttgart, his second top-30 victory this season. However, his record against players ranked inside the top 20 remains poor, with no wins against top 20 players since October 2022 and an 0-3 record on grass versus top players.
Shelton’s season record stands at 19-12 overall, with an 8-8 career mark on grass, suggesting a slightly more consistent performance on this surface. His run of results and steady improvement provide him with the momentum to make a strong start as a top 10 player.
Predicted Outcome and Significance
As Shelton steps onto the Queens Club grass courts for his first match as a top 10 player, expectations are cautiously optimistic. Given the Frenchman’s ongoing struggles and Shelton’s recent form, a straight-sets win for Shelton appears likely, allowing him to build confidence early in this significant stage of his career. Maintaining momentum here could pave the way for deeper progress at the HSBC Championships and boost his positioning ahead of the grass-court season’s climax.
“Pick: Ben Shelton to win in straight sets.” —Unattributed source