Shelton survives match-point barrage to win Dallas title

Ben Shelton tamed Taylor Fritz in a top 10 battle, saving a trio of match points to win the title at the ATP Dallas event 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4).

The fightback title win included the match point-saving heroics in the 10t game of the deciding set; Shelton now owns four ATP titles.

. “It feels amazing. I thank God, because I needed something super natural to end up winning this tournament with all the holes that I was in,” Shelton said.

“I feel grateful to play five matches out here with these crowds. The energy was amazing.”

He added: “I had to fight until the last minute. Fritz was playing very good tennis and I was struggling a lot with what he was throwing at me. 

“I tried to be a competitor through and through, and I ended up coming out on top. I think it’s a testament to the work me and my team put in.”

The final matched the top two seeds in the Texan metropolis,with Shelton losing the lead in the third set while managing to claw back into a deciding tiebreaker, which he won after nearly two hours on court.

Fritz was playing his 200h career final: “It was a crazy match, a fun match to be a part of — until the end,” he said.

“Ben played great and in the end, he played the big points and important moments really well.”