Ben Shelton wins ‘ridiculous tennis’ battle to advance to semifinals in Dallas | ATP Tour

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Shelton wins ‘ridiculous tennis’ battle, reaches semifinals in Dallas

Defending champion Shapovalov cruises, Cilic wins

February 13, 2026

Ben Shelton overcame a tough test from French southpaw Adrian Manarino at the Nexo Dallas Open on Thursday, the American’s 25th trip to the tour-level quarterfinals.

Shelton, ranked ninth in the PIF ATP rankings, defeated Mannarino 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 6-3 in a topsy-turvy match filled with great shots. Mannarino, who reached the final in Montpellier last week, expertly absorbed Shelton’s firepower, best displayed in a 29-shot opening shot in the first-set tie-break, but the second seed raised his game in the big moments to advance after two hours and 40 minutes.

It’s on fire🔥@bensheldon Digging deep defeated Mannarino 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 6-3.@NexoDallasOpen | #DALOpen pic.twitter.com/12YqCVFnBJ

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 13, 2026

“Ridiculous tennis,” Shelton said during the on-court interview. “I thought [Adrian] Playing at an extremely high level, I think he always performs well against me. We’ve been through some crazy games, the last game I got hurt playing against him at the U.S. Open. It must have been a big fight. He did a lot of things to make things very, very difficult. Especially playing against him on a low-bouncy indoor court. “

Throughout the conflict, the momentum shifted for Shelton and Mannarino. Mannarino forced a decider in dramatic fashion, converting his sixth set point. The 37-year-old conceded four set points in the 6-5 second set, two of which were erased by a brilliant ace from the American. Earlier in that game, Mannarino hit a no-look winner between the legs for a shot of the year contender.

According to Infosys ATP statistics, Shelton won 52% of her return points in the decider, compared to 32% and 31% in the first and second sets respectively. With the win, the 23-year-old improves to 2-3 against his left-handed teammate Mannarino in the Lexus ATP Head2Head Series. Shelton’s next opponent is fifth-seeded Tommy Paul or Serbian Miomir Kekmanović.

Earlier in the match, defending champion and seventh seed Denis Shapovalov defeated Alexander Kovacevic 6-4, 6-4 after 66 minutes, during which the Canadian did not face a break point. Shapovalov will next face third seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Marin Cilic earned his 600th career Tour-level victory on Wednesday, defeating Ethan Quinn 7-6(4), 6-3. Cilic reached his 123rd tour quarterfinal, second among active players behind Novak Djokovic (226).

Cilic’s next opponent is British qualifier Jack Pinnington Jones, who defeated Eliot Spizzirri 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6(4) after a thrilling match that lasted 2 hours and 52 minutes. Pinnington Jones, who turned pro last year after three seasons at Texas Christian University, is in his first tournament-level quarterfinals.