Paul, Shapovalov, Munar, and Ruud set up Dallas Open semi-final clashes

Defending champion Tommy Paul continued his strong run at the Dallas Open, overcoming fellow American Reilly Opelka 7-6(3), 6-2 in the quarter-finals on Friday. For the third consecutive match, Paul defeated a compatriot, having previously secured hard-fought three-set wins against Jenson Brooksby and Ethan Quinn.

Now holding a 17-5 record on home soil since the start of 2024, the third seed has won seven matches in Dallas. Playing his first tournament as a Top 10 player, the World No. 9 has reached his 16th tour-level semi-final (7-8) and his fourth on indoor hard courts. Notably, he has gone on to win the title in all four of his previous indoor semi-final appearances, including triumphs in Stockholm (2021, 2024) and Dallas (2023).

Against Opelka, Paul’s commanding serve helped him control the match, winning 83% (34/41) of points on his first serve and not facing a single break point.

“Not having breakpoints after a couple of times being down 0/30, I really had to tighten up on those games… I’m happy with my serve performance for sure,” Paul said post-match.

Despite firing nine aces, Opelka struggled to compete in extended rallies, with Paul effectively using his slice to disrupt the rhythm. NBA star Klay Thompson of the Dallas Mavericks was among those watching courtside.

“Getting his serve back in the court is pretty tough,” Paul admitted. “The balls were moving pretty quick today. It felt quicker than usual, maybe because I had Reilly serving to me.”

Paul will next face Denis Shapovalov, who continued his impressive run with a 7-6(5), 6-0 victory over sixth seed Tomas Machac. Backing up his dramatic upset of Taylor Fritz, Shapovalov advanced to his first semi-final above the ATP 250 level since 2022 (Vienna), climbing nine places to No. 45 in the rankings.

“I’m beating some really tough opponents. It’s been a tough draw, but I’m really happy and excited with the way I’m playing,” Shapovalov said. He previously defeated Miomir Kecmanovic in the opening round. Machac put up a strong fight early, leading in the tie-break, but Shapovalov’s dominant play in the second set sealed the victory.

In the other half of the draw, second seed Casper Ruud and Jaume Munar secured semi-final berths. Ruud advanced after taking a 7-5, 3-2 lead when Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka was forced to retire due to a shoulder injury. Munar followed up his surprise victory over Ben Shelton with a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over eighth seed Matteo Arnaldi.