Ben Shelton meets home favorite Daniel Altmaier in the second round of the Hamburg Open on Tuesday. The American is looking to get some momentum back on his side after back-to-back second-round losses in Madrid and Rome. But Altmaier is a capable player on clay and will look to pull off an upset against the second seed on home soil.
Ben Shelton vs Daniel Altmaier Match Details
Date: May 19, 2026
Tournament: Hamburg Open 2026
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Am Rothenbaum, Hamburg, Germany
Surface: Outdoor Clay
Category: ATP 500
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, TSN
Shelton vs Altmaier Head-to-Head
This will be the first meeting between these two players on the ATP Tour. Shelton started his campaign in Hamburg with a hard-fought win over compatriot Marcos Giron in three sets. The 23-year-old struggled with 36 unforced errors but was able to draw on his big-match experience to get the job done.
Shelton has had a mixed run on clay after a disappointing Sunshine Swing by his high standards. He won the title in Munich, but also fell in his opening match in both Madrid and Rome.
Altmaier had a much easier start to his campaign in Hamburg. The German claimed a 7-5, 6-2 win over Rinky Hijikata. He broke his opponent’s serve 4 times and had a win percentage of 79% on his first serve.
The season so far has certainly not gone according to plan for the world No. 65, who has a 5-13 win-loss record this year. He reached the final of the clay-court Challenger event in Naples, but hasn’t been able to translate that into strong performances on the ATP Tour.
Shelton vs Altmaier Prediction and Pick
After a disappointing showing at back-to-back Masters tournaments, Shelton will be keen to make a deep run in Hamburg to get some momentum back on his side ahead of the French Open.
Clay is by no means his favorite surface, but he does boast a decent win percentage of 55% on the red dirt. He definitely wasn’t at his best in his opening match in Hamburg, which certainly does not bode well for his hopes as the United States’ flag bearer in men’s singles at the French Open.
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Altmaier is a capable clay-court player with an overall win percentage of 41%. The home-court advantage will certainly boost his chances, and he has six wins against top-10 players to his name, three of them on clay.
Germany has proven to be a happy hunting ground for Shelton of late, and we believe his clay-court skills will come to the fore against Altmaier on Tuesday, allowing him to secure his place in the quarterfinals.
Pick – Shelton in three sets.
