Ben Shelton and Zhang Zhizhen are all set to square off in the Round of 16 of ATP Houston on Wednesday, April 1. Both the players are gearing up to produce dominant performances at the 2026 US Men’s Clay Court Championships.
This will be the third career meeting between the duo, and their rivalry is stuck at 1-1 at this moment. Their previous showdown was at the 2024 ATP Masters 1000 Rome, where they met in the Round of 32, and the Chinese nabbed the win, claiming a score of 6-2, 6-4. Their very first encounter was at the 2023 Australian Open, where they locked horns in the Round of 128. Here, the American proved his dominance, securing a stunning 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(4) victory.
Before competing at ATP Houston, Shelton participated in the Indian Wells Masters and the Miami Open, suffering early losses in both tournaments. Ahead of these two events, he competed at the Dallas Open, where he topped players including Miomir Kecmanovic, Denis Shapovalov, and more to advance to the final. Here, he faced fellow American Taylor Fritz and defeated him with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 win.
Zhizhen, on the other hand, has competed in seven tournaments in 2026 so far before ATP Houston, including the Australian Open, Challenger Manama, Challenger Brisbane, Qatar Open, Dubai Tennis Championships, Challenger Cap Cana, and Miami Open. He has suffered early exits in all of them except for the Brisbane Challenger. In this event, he progressed to the final, where he met Alex Bolt and registered a 6-2, 6-4 victory.
The world no. 263 opened his ATP Houston campaign against Jack Pinnington-Jones on March 31 and earned a dominant 6-1, 6-3 victory.
Ben Shelton vs Zhang Zhizhen: Match Schedule
Ben Shelton and Zhang will contest in the evening session of the day on the Stadium Court, River Oaks Country Club, on Wednesday, April 1.
Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
Time: Starting at local time 6:00 pm (CT) 7:00 pm (ET), 11:00 pm (GMT), and 4:30 am (IST)
Ben Shelton vs Zhang Zhizhen: Where to Watch & Live Streaming Details
Tennis fans and enthusiasts can tune into the following channels and sites to enjoy the ATP Houston showdown between Ben Shelton and Zhang Zhizhen:
USA – Tennis Channel and Tennis Channel app
UK – Sky Sports Tennis
Canada – TSN+
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