Dallas: Shelton Survives Mannarino Marathon to Reach Quarter-Finals
Second seed battles nearly three hours to overcome French veteran in topsy-turvy thriller
By Henry Wancke
February 13, 2026 | 3 min read
DALLAS — Ben Shelton knew his second-round match at the Nexo Dallas Open would be tricky. What he didn’t expect was a near three-hour war of attrition.
The second seed and world No. 9 eventually overcame Adrian Mannarino 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 6-3 after two hours and 40 minutes of absorbing, high-quality tennis—advancing to his 25th career quarter-final.
| Player | Result | Score | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Shelton (2) | Won | 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 6-3 | 2hr 40min |
| Adrian Mannarino | Lost | 6-7(2), 7-6(4), 3-6 |
The 22-year-old American had nothing but praise for his 37-year-old French opponent, who pushed him to the limit with his unorthodox style and relentless consistency.
“Ridiculous tennis,” Shelton said in his on-court interview. “I thought [Adrian] played at an extremely high level. I think he always does against me. We’ve had some crazy matches.”
The pair’s history includes Shelton’s injury-forced retirement during their 2024 US Open encounter—a context that added extra weight to this physical battle.
“He does a lot of things that make it very, very difficult. Especially playing him on a low-bouncing indoor court.”
Match Highlights
| Key Moment | Description |
|---|---|
| First point | 29-shot rally won by Mannarino |
| First-set tiebreak | Shelton dominates 7-2 after grueling opener |
| Second set | Mannarino converts sixth set point to force decider |
| Third set | Shelton pulls away for victory |
Quarter-Final Line-Up Takes Shape
Shelton will face Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanović, who pulled off the day’s biggest upset by eliminating fifth seed Tommy Paul 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.
Elsewhere in Dallas
Defending champion Denis Shapovalov swept past Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 6-4 in just 66 minutes, not facing a single break point. The Canadian will face third seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Marin Cilic, the former US Open champion who earned his 600th career win earlier this week, downed Ethan Quinn 7-6(4), 6-3 to reach his 123rd tour-level quarter-final.
Cilic’s next opponent is British qualifier Jack Pinnington Jones, who scraped past Eliot Spizzirri 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6(4) in a two-hour, 52-minute thriller.
Pinnington Jones, ranked No. 181, is playing in his first ATP quarter-final since turning pro last year after three seasons at Texas Christian University. A win over the big-serving Croat could lift him to a career-high No. 110.
Quarter-Final Match-Ups
| Match | Players |
|---|---|
| QF 1 | Ben Shelton (2) vs Miomir Kecmanović |
| QF 2 | Denis Shapovalov (7) vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (3) |
| QF 3 | Marin Cilic vs Jack Pinnington Jones (Q) |
| QF 4 | [TBD] |