Dallas
Shelton downs ‘freight prepare’ Shapovalov in Dallas SF thriller, units Fritz ultimate
Fritz defeated Cilic within the first semi-final
February 15, 2026
Sam Hodde/Getty Pictures
Ben Shelton beats Denis Shapovalov in a final-set tie-break on Saturday within the Dallas semi-finals.
By Vishakha Khandelwal
Ben Shelton survived a serious check from fellow lefty Denis Shapovalov on Saturday on the Nexo Dallas Open, the place he prevailed in a final-set tie-break to achieve the ultimate. The second seed defeated the defending champion 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(4).
“It was a gritty win. Plenty of credit score to Denis the way in which he is enjoying on this courtroom,” Shelton stated. “It is a freight prepare coming at you.”
The second-seeded Shelton demonstrated spectacular resilience below stress all through the conflict. He saved 10 of the 11 break factors he confronted, based on Infosys ATP Stats, together with a vital save with a clutch volley at 2-2 within the second set and one other save at 5-5 within the third set. With the win, he took a 4-0 lead within the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head collection.
Shelton will face prime seed Taylor Fritz within the ultimate. This would be the first ultimate between the highest two seeds on the match since 2018, when prime seed Kevin Anderson defeated second seed Sam Querrey in New York, the place the match was beforehand held.
“I’ve actually made a concerted effort to indicate as much as every match this yr with the mindset that I wish to win it,” Shelton stated. “I am there, each match, placing myself within the place that I have to compete on the highest ranges.”
Fritz halted the run of a resurgent Marin Cilic within the semi-finals of the Nexo Dallas Open on Saturday.
In a match determined by effective margins, the highest seed held his nerve to edge the Croatian 7-6(5), 7-6(3) in a gripping two-hour, two-minute conflict, hammering 22 aces previous the 37-year-old.
“Simply actually calm serving. I believe that is the largest factor once I really feel calm and relaxed, I serve properly,” Fritz stated in his on-court interview.
Each gamers dominated with large deliveries in a match that featured no breaks. Fritz didn’t face a break level and struck 22 aces to Cilic’s 16, together with 4 within the first-set tie-break, based on Infosys ATP Stats. Though he didn’t convert any of his 5 break-point probabilities, Fritz’s composure on serve in the end made the distinction as he received 86 per cent (48/56) of his first-serve factors.
“That’s one thing each tennis participant experiences once you’re the one within the opponent’s service video games,” Fritz stated. “You’ve some probabilities, you’re cruising in your service video games and impulsively they get one break level, you’ll in all probability win it. You’ll go to the tie-break, impulsively some returns got here again and I simply instructed myself to be actually prepared in that tie-break.”
With the win, Fritz took a 3-1 lead within the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head collection and superior to his first ultimate on dwelling soil after reaching the US Open ultimate in 2024.
Cilic hoped to achieve his first ultimate above the ATP 250 degree since successful the Queen’s Membership title in 2018. Along with his semi-final run in Dallas, the Croat is up 18 spots to No. 43 within the PIF ATP Reside Rankings.
