For the third time an American has won the Dallas Open. After Reilly Opelka of St. Joseph, Michigan won the tournament in 2022, and 2023 Australian Open semifinalist Tommy Paul of Voorhees Township, New Jersey won the tournament in 2024, two-time grand slam semifinalist Ben Shelton of Atlanta, Georgia is the 2026 Dallas Open champion.
Shelton, who reached the semifinals of the United States Open in 2023 and the Australian Open in 2025, defeated 2024 United States Open finalist Taylor Fritz of Rancho Santa Fe, California, in Sunday’s final of the Dallas Open, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.
A key statistic was winning percentage of points on the second serve. Shelton won 65% of the points, while Fritz only won 43% of his second serve points. Shelton also broke Fritz three times in five opportunities.
Interestingly, this was the third all-American Dallas Open final. When Opelka won in 2022, he beat Jenson Brooksby of Carmichael, California in the final, 7-6, 7-6. When Paul won in 2024, he beat Marcos Giron of Thousand Oaks, California in the final, 7-6, 5-7, 6-3.
Shelton was the second seed in Dallas, and Fritz was the first seed. Prior to facing Fritz in the final, Shelton’s most notable win in the 2026 Dallas Open came in the semifinal. That is when he beat the seventh seed, Denis Shapovalov of Canada, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6. Shapovalov, the 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist, won the 2025 Dallas Open.
Speaking of Canada, this was Shelton’s first ATP title, since he won the 2025 National Bank Open in Toronto this past summer. In all, Shelton has won four ATP tournaments. He also won the 2023 Japan Open and the 2024 U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship.
