Ben Shelton saves 3 championship points to grab finals victory in Dallas against Taylor Fritz | ATP tour | Tennis

Dallas

Shelton saves 3 championship points for taking the last win in Dallas against Fritz

23-year-old claims fourth ATP Tour title, first indoor
February 15, 2026

Ben Shelton delivered when it mattered most on Sunday at the Nexo Dallas Open, saving three championship points to defeat Taylor Fritz and capture his first title of the season.

The 23-year-old roared back to complete an explosive 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 win for his second ATP 500 trophy, saving all three championship points in a nail-biting 10th match of the decider. After that crucial grab, Shelton dropped just three more points on his way to winning his fourth ATP Tour title, and first indoors.

Big Ben strikes in Dallas 🤠@BenShelton claims the title on home soil after saving three match points to beat compatriot Fritz 3-6, 6-3, 7-5! @NexoDallasOpen | #DALOpen pic.twitter.com/rVSowg1Zj7

— ATP tour (@atptour) February 15, 2026

“It feels great. I thank God because it took something supernatural for me to win this tournament with all the holes I was in,” said Shelton, who endured four decisive fights in Dallas. “I’m grateful to be here for five games with this crowd. The energy was great.”

“I had to fight until the last minute. Fritz played really good tennis and I had a lot of trouble with what he threw at me. I tried to be a competitor through and through, and in the end I came out on top. I think it’s a testament to the work that me and my team put in.”

In a tense match between the top two seeds that ebbed and flowed until the final ball, Shelton showed supreme composure under pressure. He let a break lead escape in the final set and then looked down and out, but showed some gutsy tennis on the dying embers to hand Fritz an agonizing defeat.

With the one-hour, 51-minute victory, Shelton improved to 2-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Fritz. Since the start of 2025, Shelton is 11-4 in deciding sets, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, including nine wins from a set down.

“Once I get a set, I feel pretty confident,” Shelton explained. “Once I get my teeth into it and feel like I have some kind of rhythm, I’ll just start to loosen up and find my level. I think I’m in shape too – my fitness is good – and that probably plays a part.”

Despite falling short in the final, Fritz can look back on another positive run to his twentieth tour-level final. The American No. 1 now heads to the ATP 250 event in Delray Beach, where he is the top seed.

“It was a crazy match, a fun match to be a part of – until the end,” Fritz said with a wry smile during the trophy presentation. “Congratulations to Ben and his team. He played great and in the end he played the big points and important moments very well.”