Denis Shapovalov upsets Taylor Fritz in late-night thriller to reach quarterfinals in Dallas

Denis Shapovalov has pulled off the biggest surprise of the week in tennis so far, taking out top-seeded Taylor Fritz in a late-night thriller, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2), in the second round of the Dallas Open.

After Fritz won a relatively routine 32-minute first set, Shapovalov broke him right away for a 2-0 lead in the second set and the two held from there until the Canadian had the second set in his pocket.

Neither player budged on serve in the third, with 12 straight holds (and zero break points) leading into the tie-break. But Shapovalov burst out to a 4-0, double mini-break lead—starting with a perfect drop shot, ace and big forehand winner in the first three points—and eventually closed out the two-hour, two-minute battle on his second match point.

Shapovalov finished the match with 37 winners to 43 unforced errors, though the ratio got much better after the first set. Fritz, meanwhile, finished with a very solid 25 winners to 24 unforced errors.

It’s the Canadian’s first win over a Top 10 player since beating a No. 10-ranked Fritz in Vienna during the fall indoor season in 2022, and his first win over a Top 5 player since beating a No. 4-ranked Rafael Nadal in Rome during the clay-court season earlier that same year.

It’s his fourth career win over a Top 5 player, and in three of them he’s battled back from dropping the first set to claim the victory.

DENIS SHAPOVALOV’S TOP 5 WINS (4):

• d. No. 2 Nadal in 2017 Canada 3rd Rd, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4)
• d. No. 3 Zverev in 2022 Australian Open 4th Rd, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3
• d. No. 4 Nadal in 2022 Rome 3rd Rd, 1-6, 7-5, 6-2
• d. No. 4 Fritz in 2025 Dallas 2nd Rd, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2)

Fritz had won his last 20 matches in a row against players ranked outside the Top 50, but Shapovalov, who's currently ranked No. 54, is a former world No. 10. The Canadian had also won five of their nine career meetings going in, now improving to 6-4 in their head-to-head.

Shapovalov has now reached the quarterfinals or better at his last three indoor events in a row, having finished last season with a run to the quarterfinals in Basel and then a title in Belgrade.

Awaiting him in the quarterfinals here will be No. 25-ranked Tomas Machac, a 6-4, 7-6 (0) winner earlier in the day over Rinky Hijikata.

Shapovalov and Machac will be playing for the first time.