Nightmare day for US men's tennis as Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz & Frances Tiafoe all exit Dallas Open in shock upsets

A day of misery unfolded for US men's tennis as Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe all suffered defeats at the 2025 Dallas Open. They were eliminated from the event after losing their respective second-round fixtures on Thursday, February 6.

Following his impressive run at the Australian Open, Ben Shelton commenced his campaign in Dallas with a first-round win over Aleksandar Vukic. However, the American's run was cut short by second-round opponent Jaume Munar, who held his serve well to come out on top, 6-2, 7-6(3).

Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz won in straight sets against Arthur Rinderknech in the Dallas opener on Thursday. He then looked on course to register a comfortable win over Denis Shapovalov in the second round after claiming the first set in eight games. However, the Canadian's strong serve proved challenging for the top seed, who conceded 15 aces during the match and eventually lost the tie 6-2, 3-6, 6-7(2).

Frances Tiafoe's underwhelming start to the season continued in Dallas. He defeated Taro Daniel in the first round but lost to Yoshihito Nishioka, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, as he suffered his third consecutive second-round exit this year. Following Thursday's defeat, Tiafoe's win percentage for the season stands at 50%.

With the trio's exit, Tommy Paul remains the only seeded American to reach the quarterfinals of the ATP 500 event. The defending champion will take on compatriot Reilly Opelka on Friday.

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A look at how Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe fared at the 2025 Australian Open

Taylor Fritz (L) and Ben Shelton (R) at the 2024 Laver Cup (Source: Getty)

Ben Shelton had a campaign to remember at the 2025 Australian Open, unlike Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, who suffered early exits.

Shelton reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the second time in his career at this year's Melbourne Major. The American defeated Brandon Nakashima, Pablo Carreno Busta, Lorenzo Musetti, Gael Monfils, and Lorenzo Sonego to reach the last four. His scintillating run came to an end after falling to World No. 1 and eventual champion Jannik Sinner, 6-7(2), 2-6, 2-6.

Taylor Fritz registered consecutive straight-set wins over Jenson Brooksby and Cristian Garin respectively, in the opening two rounds. However, veteran Monfils, who has been enjoying a late-career flourish, handed Fritz a shocking third-round defeat. The Frenchman came from behind to register a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(1), 6-4 win.

Frances Tiafoe's Melbourne Major campaign saw him struggle from the onset. He claimed a hard-fought five-set win over Arthur Rinderknech in the opener. He then lost to Hungary's Fabian Marozsan, 6-7(3), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the second round.