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Fritz survives 'sharp pain', Korda to reach Dallas semis

  • Posted: Feb 14, 2026

Taylor Fritz survived a razor-tight match and an injury scare Friday to beat Sebastian Korda 6-7(2), 6-4, 7-6(5) for a place in the Nexo Dallas Open semi-finals.

At 4-5, 30/15 first set, Fritz hit an awkward backhand flick that led to a sharp pain and a physio visit in the same game. After speaking throughout the week about injuries he has dealt with in the past year, it was an alarming sight.

“That was a weird one. He hit a really hard return and so I had to kind of hit a flick backhand and the way that I [hit it], just jammed my elbow I think. It was a hard-hit ball, so I just think the way I hit it behind me and extended my elbow, I instantly just felt this really sharp pain in my elbow,” Fritz said in his on-court interview. “I went over to the towel box, I was feeling it and I was like, ‘I’ll try to hit a serve’. Luckily I made it and it wasn’t a bad serve, because the ball came back and I couldn’t hit the next ball. It was such a sharp pain.”

Fritz had the injury worked on and was still feeling the pain, but not as intensely. He received multiple visits from the physio, which he explained helped.

“It felt like it was better and then I started to get some confidence in it. And then I served one that gave me the exact same pain and it’s such a sharp pain… like I can barely hold the racquet. No chance I can hit the next ball,” Fritz said. “It was weird, but then I got the pain-killers and as the match went on, I stopped feeling it and I was able to trust it and have no pain the whole third, most of the second set.”

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Even so, Fritz had to deal with Korda, who served at 5/4 in the final-set tie-break. But the former No. 15 player in the PIF ATP Rankings made back-to-back forehand errors, allowing Fritz to escape. The top seed hit 22 aces and saved all four break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Fritz will next face former World No. 3 Marin Cilic, who stormed past breakthrough Briton Jack Pinnington Jones 6-1, 6-4 in jut 78 minutes.

The Croatian, a 21-time tour-level champion, is pursuing his first ATP Tour title since Hangzhou in 2024. Fritz leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 2-1, but they have not played since 2022.

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Courier hosts new ATP podcast presented by Infosys, examines Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry

  • Posted: Feb 13, 2026

The legends of our sport — past, present, and future — stand together on a mountain of titles, achievements and broken records. But what has allowed them to do so?

ATP Beyond the Numbers presented by Infosys is a new series hosted Jim Courier examining the powerful and evolving role of statistics in telling the story of tennis.

Each episode, another expert will join Courier to use Infosys ATP Stats to dig deeper into what makes the sport tick and how those insights are helping unlock a new understanding of the game.

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Courier is a member of the prestigious ATP No. 1 Club, having spent 58 weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The iconic player and broadcaster combines his experience on the court with his perspective off it to provide advanced insights into the modern game.

Using their knowledge and the numbers, Courier and his guests will dive deep into the history and future of the ATP Tour and its stars.

Watch the first episode below, with Courier and Mark Petchey exploring rivalries, including the one between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

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Etcheverry finds a major spark in thrilling Buenos Aires win

  • Posted: Feb 13, 2026

Tomas Martin Etcheverry soared to his first ATP Tour semi-final since last May on Friday at the IEB+ Argentina Open, where he used the support from a vocal home crowd and high-quality shotmaking in key moments to earn a comeback 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory against Alejandro Tabilo.

Tabilo had defeated former champions Facundo Diaz Acosta and Joao Fonseca in his first two matches at the ATP 250 clay-court event in Buenos Aires and looked on course for another victory after a dominant first set.

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However, Etcheverry hit a scorching forehand winner to break Tabilo’s serve at 0-1 in the second set and that moment changed the complexion of the clash. The seventh seed struck 14 winners in the second set to level and then fired an astonishing backhand pass from near the advertising boards at 4-4 in the third set to break Tabilo again. He served out in two hours and seven minutes to reach the last four in Buenos Aires for the first time.

“I am so happy,” Etcheverry said. “The first set was so tough for me, but in the second set I started to play my best tennis and then in the third set at 4-4, I got the break with the passing shot with my backhand, down the line, was incredible. I am super happy to play here with my people.”

Etcheverry, who is 6-3 on the year according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, is chasing his first tour-level title this week and will next play top seed Francisco Cerundolo or Vit Kopriva.

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Shelton wins 'ridiculous tennis' battle, reaches Dallas QFs

  • Posted: Feb 13, 2026

Ben Shelton fought off a stern test from French lefty Adrian Mannarino on Thursday at the Nexo Dallas Open, where the American is into his 25th tour-level quarter-final.

Shelton, the No. 9 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, overcame Mannarino 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 6-3 in a topsy-turvy battle filled with superb shotmaking. Mannarino, a finalist last week in Montpellier, expertly absorbed Shelton’s firepower, best showcased during a 29-shot rally on the opening point of the first-set tie-break, but the second seed raised his level in the important moments to advance after two hours and 40 minutes.

“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, last match I got injured against him at the US Open. A big battle for sure. He does a lot of things that make it very, very difficult. Especially playing him on a low-bouncing indoor court.”

Throughout the clash, Shelton and Mannarino traded momentum shifts. Mannarino forced a decider in dramatic fashion, converting his sixth set point. The 37-year-old had let slip four set points on return at 6-5, two of which the American erased with booming aces. Earlier that game, Mannarino hit a shot-of-the-year-contender when he struck a no-look, between the legs winner.

Shelton in the decider pulled away by winning 52 per cent of his return points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, compared to 32 and 31 per cent in the first and second sets, respectively. With his win, the 23-year-old improved to 2-3 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with his fellow left-hander Mannarino. Up next for Shelton is fifth seed Tommy Paul or Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.

In earlier action, defending champion and seventh seed Denis Shapovalov raced past Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 6-4 after 66 minutes, during which the Canadian did not face a break point. Shapovalov next faces third seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Marin Cilic, who earned his 600th career tour-level win on Wednesday, downed Ethan Quinn 7-6(4), 6-3. Cilic is into his 123rd tour-level quarter-final, second most among active players, only behind Novak Djokovic (226).

Cilic’s next opponent is British qualifier Jack Pinnington Jones, who escaped Eliot Spizzirri 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6(4) after a two-hour, 52-minute thriller. Pinnington Jones turned pro last year after three seasons at Texas Christian University and is now into his first tour-level quarter-final.

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Darderi excels on return to clay ‘comfort zone’ in Buenos Aires

  • Posted: Feb 12, 2026

Five months away from clay was not enough to stop Luciano Darderi from making a typically assured return to the surface Thursday at the IEB+ Argentina Open.

The second-seeded Italian powered to a 6-1, 6-3 opening-round victory against Tomas Barrios Vera at the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires to pick up where he left off on his favourite surface in 2025. Darderi, who lifted two ATP Tour titles (Bastad, Umag) and an ATP Challenger Crown (Genoa) in his most recent appearances on clay, needed just 82 minutes against Barrios Vera to extend his winning streak on the surface to 15 matches.

“It’s the first match on clay after [five] months playing on hard, but I feel really comfortable here on clay,” said Darderi, who reached the fourth-round on the hard courts of the Australian Open last month. “Today was a really good match and I felt really good. In the second set, he started to play better but I’m really happy to be in the quarter-finals here again.”

Competing at a career-high No. 22 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Darderi converted five of nine break points he earned against Barrios Vera, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The 23-year-old could secure his rise into the Top 20 for the first time if he can lift his fifth ATP Tour title this week. Standing in Darderi’s way next in the Argentine capital will be Pedro Martinez or home favourite Juan Manuel Cerundolo.

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Alcaraz visits F1 stars Alonso, Sainz in Bahrain

  • Posted: Feb 12, 2026

Carlos Alcaraz kick-started his season by going ‘full throttle’ at January’s Australian Open, where he lifted the trophy to become the youngest man to complete the Career Grand Slam.

On Thursday, the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings visited a couple of fellow Spanish sporting stars who are also aiming to begin their respective 2026 seasons in style. Alcaraz caught up with Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz as the duo took part in the F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain.

A keen motorsport fan, Alcaraz has long been a big supporter of both Alonso, a two-time winner of the Formula One World Driver’s Championship, and Sainz. He posed for photos with both drivers, who will also be hoping for a magic moment in Melbourne to begin the year: The 2026 F1 season starts in the city with the Australian Grand Prix on 8 March.

The 22-year-old Alcaraz is in the Middle East ahead of next week’s Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha, where he will compete as the top seed. He will be joined in the field in the Qatari capital by his great Lexus ATP Head2Head rival, World No. 2 Jannik Sinner.

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Musetti's magic earns January's Hot Shot of the Month award

  • Posted: Feb 12, 2026

Lorenzo Musetti knows how to put his flair to devastating effect, and one of his latest moments of magic has earned him January’s Hot Shot of the Month presented by Yokohama.

Trailing by a set against Andrey Rublev in their Hong Kong semi-final, the 23-year-old Italian went searching for a spark — and found it in spectacular style. Musetti whipped a wicked banana forehand that swerved outside the tramlines before bending back in and landing for a clean winner.

That flash of brilliance proved the turning point. Musetti surged back to claim a three-set victory, levelling his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Rublev at 1-1 and launching his season with a run to his ninth ATP Tour final.

Musetti claimed the fan-voted award ahead of Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Brandon Nakashima and Cameron Norrie. Stay tuned to see what February has in store for the ATP Tour’s next round of jaw-dropping hot shots.

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