Dallas
Fritz hammers 22 aces to beat Cilic, reaches Dallas final
Top seed to play Shelton or Shapovalov in Sunday’s final
February 14, 2026
Sam Hodde/Getty Images
Taylor Fritz in action on Saturday in Dallas.
By Vishakha Khandelwal
Taylor Fritz halted the run of a resurgent Marin Cilic in the semi-finals of the Nexo Dallas Open on Saturday.
In a match decided by fine margins and dominated by powerful serves, the top seed held his nerve to edge the Croat 7-6(5), 7-6(3) in a gripping two-hour, two-minute clash, hammering 22 aces past the 37-year-old.
“Just really calm serving. I think that’s the biggest thing when I feel calm and relaxed, I serve well,” Fritz said in his on-court interview.
With the win, Fritz took a 3-1 lead in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series and advanced to his first final on home soil after reaching the US Open final in 2024. He will face countryman Ben Shelton or defending champion Denis Shapovalov in the title match.
Cilic was hoping to reach his first final above the ATP 250 level since winning the Queen’s Club title in 2018. With his semi-final run in Dallas, the Croat is up 18 spots to No. 43 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
More to come…
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