Taylor Fritz shines in victory in Dallas with behind-the-back shot and ‘best return in years’ | ATP tour | Tennis

Match report

With a shot behind him and ‘best return in years’, Fritz shines in the victory in Dallas

Shelton and Michelsen are also improving
February 11, 2026

In a Nexo Dallas Open rubber match, Taylor Fritz used a late surge to beat compatriot Marcos Giron in the opening round at the ATP 500. After the pair split two previous meetings at the event, Fritz triumphed 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (1) on Tuesday night, in his first action since the Australian Open.

Fritz was the best player in Dallas for the fourth time in five years and made his statistical superiority count by storming to a 6/0 lead in the decisive tie-break. He didn’t face a break point in the final set, while Giron saved all four against him in the decider, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“I know it sounds crazy because I didn’t break serve, but I think that whole third set is the best tennis set I’ve returned,” Fritz said after the match. “From a returning service perspective, I think this is the best returning set I’ve played in years.”

Fritz’s win continued his dominance in the opening round of hard-court events after posting a 13-0 scoreline on such occasions last season. The American also improved to 17-1 against players outside the Top 50 of the PIF ATP Rankings since June and to 6-2 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Giron.

Long before the third set tiebreaker, there were two flashpoints in the opening set, including a title of the year contender. Fritz came up with the gemstone while looking for a winner behind the back after a net rope seemed to leave him stranded. Fritz also required early treatment for an injury to his leg, but he recovered quickly and said the problem was not related to his ongoing patellar tendonitis.

“The shot I hit is cool, but honestly it’s not that hard to hit,” Fritz said modestly. “It was good. It was one where it was really the only option I had because I was moving, my momentum, I was completely lunging for the down-the-line pass and then, off balance, it was pretty much all I had. But yeah, it was a fun one.”

Ben Shelton also picked up a win on Tuesday, with the second seed securing a 6-4, 6-4 victory against Gabriel Diallo. The American saved all three break points against him and improved to 10-1 in the opening rounds since Wimbledon.

Marin Cilic recorded his 600th tour-level victory with a 7-5, 7-6(4) upset of sixth seed Tien, joining Novak Djokovic as the only active players to reach that victory milestone. The win also moved him past compatriot Goran Ivanisevic, who ended his career with 599 tour-level wins.

Jack Pinnington Jones of Great Britain also pulled off an upset, beating fourth seed Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 6-2, while Alex Michelsen defeated Grigor Dimitrov 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.