Shelton defeats Fritz to claim victory at the Dallas Open in an all-American final.
FRISCO, Texas — Ben Shelton saved three match points before concluding another rally at the Dallas Open, defeating top-seeded Taylor Fritz in three sets to claim the title on Sunday in a clash of the highest-ranked American male players.
The No. 2 seed and No. 9 player in the ATP rankings dropped the first set in each of the last three rounds of the tournament, this time rallying for a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 triumph over Fritz in their first encounter as top seeds since the tournament relocated to Dallas in 2022.
Shelton improved his record to 4-0 in ATP finals, overcoming Fritz, who is ranked seventh globally, after the two had previously split their initial two encounters. The 23-year-old secured the title following his run to the Australian Open quarterfinals last month, where he was defeated in straight sets by Jannik Sinner.
After saving three match points to level the third set at 5-5, Shelton had three opportunities to secure the match while serving. Fritz managed to save the first two, but the 10-time ATP champion was unable to prevent Shelton from converting the third.
Fritz’s powerful serving from his semifinal victory over Marin Cilic — where the 28-year-old did not face a single break point while winning both tiebreakers in a straight-sets win — continued into the first set of the final. Fritz won 12 of his first 13 service points and broke Shelton in the left-hander’s opening service game.
Shelton shifted the momentum late in the second set by breaking Fritz’s serve for a 5-3 advantage, then did so again early in the third set.
Fritz broke back to level at 3-3 before a double-fault — the only one of the match for either player — presented Shelton with three break points at 5-5. Shelton capitalized on the second break opportunity when Fritz’s forehand sailed long.
Source: espn.com
