Fritz’s Returning Surge Clinches Dallas Opener
Taylor Fritz digs deep against Marcos Giron in a three-set grind at the Nexo Dallas Open, his elite returns in the decider turning a rubber match into a hard-fought victory on home soil.
Under the steady buzz of a Dallas night, Taylor Fritz returned to the ATP tour at the Nexo Dallas Open, facing countryman Marcos Giron in a matchup heavy with history. This ATP 500 opener served as their rubber match after split results in prior Dallas meetings, with Fritz entering as top seed for the fourth time in five years. His first competitive strokes since the Australian Open carried the edge of post-Melbourne adjustment, but the American’s power game quickly asserted itself on the indoor hard courts.
The opening set built tension through probing rallies, Fritz’s heavy topspin forehands pressuring Giron’s backhand crosscourts. A net cord left him scrambling, but he conjured a behind-the-back winner that ripped past his opponent, drawing roars from the crowd. Midway, a leg tweak prompted brief treatment, though he dismissed any link to his knee tendinitis and refocused, breaking through for a 6-4 lead with a down-the-line forehand that hugged the line.
“I know it sounds crazy, because I didn’t break serve, but I think that whole third set is the best set of tennis I’ve returned,” Fritz said post-match. “From a returning serve standpoint, that’s the best returning set I’ve played in years, I think.”
Decider deadlock tests resolve
Giron leveled the score in the second set, his flat groundstrokes forcing Fritz into defensive slices and evening it at 5-7 after a crosscourt backhand winner. The third set locked into a hold-for-hold battle, with neither conceding a break—Giron saving all four chances Fritz created, while the top seed faced none himself. Fritz adapted by crowding the baseline on returns, his deep crosscourt shots neutralizing Giron’s second serve and setting up the one–two punch of forehand returns into weak replies.
The tie-break arrived as a release, Fritz racing to a 6-0 edge with venomous returns that jammed Giron on his backhand side. This surge reflected his broader form, extending a 13-0 streak in hard-court opening rounds from last season and pushing his record to 17-1 against players outside the top 50 since June. Now 6-2 head-to-head with Giron, Fritz’s mental shift in the decider—anticipating serves and varying return depth—proved decisive on a surface that rewards aggressive positioning.
Upsets stir Dallas draw
Elsewhere, Ben Shelton as second seed dispatched Gabriel Diallo 6-4, 6-4, saving all three break points with booming lefty serves and net rushes. His win bolstered a 10-1 mark in opening rounds since Wimbledon, fueling American momentum in the bracket. The hard courts’ moderate pace suited Shelton’s aggressive style, keeping the home crowd engaged for potential deep runs.
Marin Cilic marked his 600th tour-level victory by upending sixth seed Learner Tien 7-5, 7-6(4), a milestone shared only with Novak Djokovic among active players. This edged him past compatriot Goran Ivanisevic‘s 599 wins, his first-strike tennis thriving in tight sets. The upset added veteran grit to the mix, signaling vulnerabilities among the seeds.
Great Britain’s Jack Pinnington Jones stunned fourth seed Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 6-2, overwhelming with baseline aggression that disrupted the Italian’s defense. Alex Michelsen followed by outlasting Grigor Dimitrov 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, flipping the script with inside-in forehands and slice backhands in the deciders. These results injected unpredictability into the Nexo Dallas Open, pressuring favorites to elevate amid the American-heavy field.
For Fritz, this gritty win anchors his hard-court swing, his returning prowess in the third set a foundation for climbing the rankings. As the draw unfolds, his tactical poise positions him to navigate upsets and chase a home title, with the Dallas energy hinting at more all-American drama ahead.
