Second seed Ben Shelton turned a hard-earned Round of 16 victory at the 2026 Dallas Open into something far more personal. After outlasting France’s Adrian Mannarino in a tense three-set battle, Shelton used his on-court interview to dedicate the win to his grandmother, who he said has been “fighting hard.”
A Closer Look at Ben Shelton’s Road to the Dallas Quarterfinals
Shelton arrived in Dallas as the No. 2 seed and one of the tournament’s marquee names. He opened his campaign with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Canadian Gabriel Diallo. In his Round of 16 clash, Shelton faced a much stiffer test against the veteran Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.
The battle lived up to expectations. Shelton edged a tight first-set tiebreak 7-6(2), only to see Mannarino respond with a 6-7(4) tiebreak win in the second. With momentum hanging in the balance, Shelton regrouped in the third set and pulled away 6-3 to close it out.
In his post-match, on-court interview, Shelton reflected on both the physical and emotional toll of the match. “I knew it was going to be a battle,” he said. “Like I said in my interview before, this one’s for my grandmother. She’s been fighting hard and I was trying to fight hard out here on the court as well.”
The American tennis star reached the Dallas quarterfinals for the second time, where he will take on either fifth seed Tommy Paul or Miomir Kecmanović. Shelton’s presence in Dallas extended beyond singles. On the doubles side, he generated early buzz after posting on Instagram asking for a partner.
That outreach led to a pairing with fellow American Aleksandar Kovacevic. The duo made an immediate impact, rallying from a set down to defeat Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov and Georgi Georgiev 5-7, 7-6(3), 10-3. Their run ended in the quarterfinals against the third-seeded French pair of Fabien Reboul and Sadio Doumbia, who defeated them 6-3, 3-6, 9-11Â in another tight contest.
What Were the Key Results in Shelton’s 2026 Campaign Prior to Dallas?
Shelton kicked off his 2026 season with a quarterfinal exit against seventh seed Sebastian Baez at the ASB Classic in Auckland. He then made his fourth Australian Open appearance and reached the quarterfinals for the second straight year and third time overall.
As the eighth seed, he defeated Ugo Humbert and Dane Sweeny in straight sets, then beat 30th seed Valentin Vacherot before rallying past 12th seed Casper Ruud in four sets to return to the last eight. His campaign ended there, falling 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner.
