Feb 14 (Reuters) - Top seed Taylor Fritz and second seed Ben Shelton will contest an all-American final at the Dallas Open after both won their semi-finals on Saturday, guaranteeing a home champion in Texas.
Fritz dispatched former US Open champion Marin Cilic 7-6(5) 7-6(3) in two hours and two minutes, holding his nerve in both tie-breaks against the resurgent Croatian, who was seeking his first final above ATP 250 level since capturing the Queen's Club title in 2018.
"Just really calm serving. I
think that's the biggest thing when I feel calm and relaxed, I serve well," Fritz said in his on-court interview.
The 27-year-old American was imperious on serve throughout, striking 35 winners against just 17 unforced errors. He unleashed 22 aces past the veteran Cilic, outgunning his opponent's 16.
"You have some chances, you're cruising on your service games and all of a sudden they get one break point, you'll probably win it. You'll go to the tie-break, all of a sudden some returns came back and I just told myself to be really ready in that tie-break," Fritz explained.
The victory secured Fritz's place in his 20th tour final and first on home soil following his run to the US Open final in 2024. He survived an injury scare on Friday in his hard-fought quarter-final against Sebastian Korda.
The 37-year-old Cilic, who has endured several injury-ravaged seasons, will take consolation from his improved form in Dallas. His semi-finals run lifted the former world number three up 18 places to 43rd in the world rankings.
Later on Saturday, Shelton produced a stirring comeback to defeat defending champion Denis Shapovalov 4-6 6-4 7-6(4) in two hours and 34 minutes, clinching victory in a tense deciding tie-break.
The 23-year-old American struck 30 winners whilst saving 10 of 11 break points and maintaining a superior first serve against the Canadian.
Shelton arrived in Dallas seeking redemption after his Australian Open quarter-final exit to Jannik Sinner last month.
"A lot of credit to Denis, the way that he's playing on this court is extremely difficult. The serve, the forehand, the backhand, the volleys. It's a freight train coming at you," Shelton said.
Shapovalov was unable to defend his title despite snatching the opening set, ultimately overwhelmed by Shelton's aggressive net play and thunderous serve.
"He was beating me in the ping-pong rally, so I had to try to find a way to change the pace, change the rhythm of the point, play some lob balls sometimes, make the tennis more ugly per se, and try to get some unforced errors that way," Shelton added.
"He's not a guy that you can just hit right through on this court right now and yeah, I had to play chess a little bit sometimes and find other ways to win."
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in San Francisco; Editing by Michael Perry)
