Denis Shapovalov’s semifinal showdown against Ben Shelton at the 2026 Dallas Open produced a moment of controversy. It involved Shapovalov threatening to walk off the court after a rowdy fan disrupted his serve during the high-stakes encounter at the ATP 500 hardcourt event.
On the night of Saturday, February 14, Shapovalov, the World No. 40 from Canada and the defending champion in Dallas, took the first set against the ninth-ranked Shelton. However, the 23-year-old American squared things up by winning the second, taking the contest to a thrilling decider.
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After losing the second set, an irate Denis Shapovalov vented his frustrations about a particular fan to the chair umpire. The Canadian claimed that the fan had shouted during one of his serves and threatened to leave the court if the spectator wasn’t removed from the Center Court at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
Watch the heated moment unfold below:
It was Ben Shelton who ultimately went on to have the last laugh, as he clinched the decisive third set to win the match 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) and progress to the final, where he will face compatriot and fellow ATP top 10 star Taylor Fritz.
Ben Shelton reflects on ‘gritty’ victory in Dallas Open SF
In the aftermath of the result, Ben Shelton candidly reflected on the grit he produced to turn the match around in his favor following his first-set loss to Denis Shapovalov. The American also hailed his Canadian rival’s explosive style of play, which made quite the impression at this year’s Dallas Open.
“It was a gritty win. A lot of credit to Denis the way he’s playing on this court. It’s a freight train coming at you,” Shelton said.
Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz, Shelton’s opponent in the upcoming Dallas final, overcame ATP veteran and former Slam champion Marin Cilic in the other semifinal 7-6(5), 7-6(3). Fritz was rock solid on his serve and according to him, this played a pivotal role in helping him over the line against the Croatian tennis icon despite his inability to convert the five break point opportunities he mustered.
“That’s something every tennis player experiences when you’re the one in the opponent’s service games. 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 said.
Fritz and Shelton’s head-to-head is currently level at 1-1.
Edited by Sudipto Pati
