Ben Shelton was crowned champion of the Dallas Open after coming from behind to beat Taylor Fritz in an all-American final.
Shelton put on a terrific show to fight back from a set down, taking the match 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.
In doing so, he managed to save three championship points along the way to claim his first trophy of the year.
The world number nine is now a four-time ATP Tour champion and just secured his first indoor title.
Ben Shelton hails Taylor Fritz after hard-fought Dallas Open final
It took Shelton nearly two hours to come through a hard-fought contest, and he did not waste any time acknowledging Fritz in his post-match remarks.
In his winner’s speech, the 23-year-old stated: “First and most importantly, I want to thank God.
“I feel blessed, not only to have a great support system, the best team, an amazing family, but also just the opportunity to travel the world, be healthy, play in front of you guys, have experiences like this, there’s nothing like it.
“So I appreciate everybody for coming out. This is one of my favorite atmospheres I’ve ever played in.
“I want to congratulate Taylor. This was a crazy match to be a part of. I thought your level was amazing.
“What you’ve done this year, dealing with adversity, fighting through injuries, nags here and there, the competitor that you are, the work that your team does. You’re an inspiration to all.
“I think that every kid at home should watch how hard you compete, day in and day out when they’re not feeling 100% and I just want to congratulate you guys.”
Taylor Fritz congratulates Ben Shelton after ‘crazy’ final at the Dallas Open
Shelton’s remarks were well received, but the runner-up also offered gracious words of his own following their contest.
Fritz said: “Congrats to Ben. It was a crazy match, a fun match to be a part of, up until the end.
“Congrats to Ben and his team. He played great and in the end played the big points and important moments really good so congrats man.”
The defeat means Fritz narrowly missed out on an 11th ATP title, while Shelton has now won at least one tournament in each of the past four seasons.
Shelton holds an impressive 10-2 record in 2026 and has gone 11-4 in deciding sets since the start of 2025.
Fritz will not have much time to dwell on this loss though, as he is set to play next week at Delray Beach, where he will enter as the top seed.
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