Fritz and Shelton to face off in the Dallas Open final
In a night filled with emotions in Frisco, Texas, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, the two highest-ranked Americans in the world, secured their place in the final of the Dallas Open. Fritz, the number one seed, defeated Marin Cilic in straight sets, while Shelton came back to beat the defending champion, Denis Shapovalov. Fritz demonstrated his prowess with 22 aces in his 7-6(5), 7-6(3) victory. Shelton, for his part, ignited the game with an impressive cross-court forehand that allowed him to overcome three break points at the start of the second set, achieving a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) victory. Fritz, currently ranked number seven in the world, will face Shelton, who is in ninth place and is coming off a strong performance in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. With 10 ATP Tour titles to his name, Fritz will seek his eleventh championship, while Shelton, with three titles in his career, will try to add another trophy to his collection.Shelton managed to come back from a set down for the second consecutive time in the tournament, after defeating Miomir Kecmanovic in the quarterfinals. In the second set, Shelton, with a losing score and facing three break points, managed to change the course of the match with a winning shot. Subsequently, he had two set points on Shapovalov’s serve and converted the second to force the decisive set. Shelton secured the victory in the tiebreaker, winning three of the last four points, sealing the triumph with another powerful forehand. Fritz, for his part, had three set points in the first tiebreak and three match points in the second against Cilic. Fritz closed the first set with his third consecutive ace, after Cilic saved two set points. Cilic’s error, with eight double faults in the match, gave Fritz the opportunity to take the lead in the second tiebreak. Fritz won his first match point when the 2014 US Open champion’s service return went long. Cilic, despite his 38 aces, did not achieve victory, seeking his number 600 singles win. Cilic saved the five break points he faced, while Fritz had none in his third win in four encounters against Cilic.“Are you telling me that’s the final they want to see?” Shelton asked, eliciting cheers from the fans present in the indoor stadium, which is also the practice field for the Dallas Cowboys. “I’m super excited about that matchup.”
Ben Shelton
