Ben Shelton and Miomir Kecmanovic will be facing each other for the first time in their careers when they fight for a place in the semifinals of the Dallas Open on Friday night.
Both boys were part of an incredible night session on Thursday, battling for a three-set win. Shelton opened with a 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 6-3 loss to Adrian Mannarino before Kecmanovic upset Tommy Paul 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.
The success this week came entirely from Kecmanovic, who was winless in 2026 (0-4) before beating Sho Shimabukuro in a third-set contest to start his Dallas campaign. Meanwhile, Shelton’s appearance in the finale is not surprising. The ninth-ranked American is coming off a quarterfinal appearance at the Australian Open (lost by Jannik Sinner) and is often playing his best tennis at home in the USA.
As Shelton continues to show significant improvement early on, Kecmanovic’s advantage in the backcourt likely won’t remove much of the No. 1 seed’s edge.
Pick: Shelton at 2
