ATP Dallas Open Semi-Finals Round-Up | Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton survive tight duels to secure All-American final

The ATP 500 Dallas Open defined its finalists this Saturday with victories from the local favourites Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton in tight matches. Both Americans secured, for the third time – in just five editions of the tournament – an all-American final, and a new local champion.

Fritz overcame complications against former US Open champion Marin Cilic – who is enjoying a resurgence after a remarkable week on the Tour – during which he reached his 600th ATP-level victory. Meanwhile, Shelton had to work for a comeback against defending champion Denis Shapovalov.

World No. 7 Taylor Fritz entered the match as the favourite against Marin Cilic (No. 61), although the physical issues from his quarterfinal raised some doubts about the condition in which the American No. 1 would appear – after requesting a medical timeout in the hard-fought victory over Korda due to shoulder problems.

It was a battle of nerves, in which Cilic showed what he had from a great week, with strong serving effectiveness – winning more than 80% of points with his first serve throughout the match, even though he only landed slightly over 50% of first serves, which ultimately cost him, as well as 8 double faults during the match.

The first set was marked by short points and few opportunities from the return for either player. Around the 4th game, Cilic faced a break point for the first time but got through with an ace. There were no more chances on either side, and the set extended to a tie-break, where an early two-mini-break advantage gave Fritz up to three set points before closing the set 7-6(5).

In the second set, Cilic struggled with double faults – a total of 6 – and serving effectiveness dropped, putting him in trouble several times. He saved up to four break points throughout the set and managed to escape unscathed, against a Fritz who practically gave no chances, winning 88% of points on first serve and conceding only 5 service points in the set. Like in the first set, the match remained without breaks until the tie-break, in which the American again showed his quality, finishing the victory 7-6(5), 7-6(3). Fritz hit 22 aces – another flawless serving performance – and Cilic had 16.

World No. 9 Ben Shelton achieved a remarkable victory against defending champion Denis Shapovalov (No. 40), coming back from a set down in a tight match against the Canadian. The differences were minimal in favour of the American, who showed more decisiveness in key points and better handling under pressure.

However, things started with complications for Shelton, who faced several break points in the first set – from his very first service game. Shapovalov grew stronger on serve and took advantage of Shelton’s unforced errors – who persistently tried to take the initiative in points but could not gain control. This led to the break for Shapovalov in the 8th game, after which he held serve to take the set 6-4.

In the second set, the match remained tightly contested, and Shelton got into trouble when facing 0-40 in the 2nd game. The American recovered from this difficult moment, and although he continued to hold his service games, complications remained. Shelton took the lead amid many challenges at 5-4 and applied pressure on his rival, achieving the break near the end to win the set 6-4.

The third set was tense for both players, with each saving break points throughout the set, but neither converting. Everything came to a decision in the tie-break, where an early lead for Shelton – strongly supported by the crowd – allowed him to finish the victory 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(4).