Upsets abound in Dallas with Shelton and Tiafoe knocked out

It will be Jaume Munar and Yoshihito Nishioka moving into the quarters at the Dallas Open, as Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe get sent packing. Nishioka came back from a set down to beat Tiafoe on Thursday.

Yoshihito Nishioka def. (5) Frances Tiafoe 3-6, 6-4, 6-3

Frances Tiafoe started off his Dallas second-round match against Yoshihito Nishioka in good form. Solid groundstrokes and effecting serving gave him the early and seemingly commanding lead. But despite vocal crowd support for Tiafoe, the American could not hold onto the momentum. A marathon game in his first service effort of the second set featured five deuces and an eventual break of serve for Nishioka.

Tiafoe earned the break back at 3-1, but the Japanese lefty broke again with Tiafoe serving at 4-5. By the third set, Nishioka wrested control of the match completely and he was able to close out the upset win in relatively comfortable fashion.

Nishioka told The Grandstand post match, “I didn’t know how I beat [him] today…. I got a little bit tired [in] my body so I cannot run like usual…. I wasn’t expected to win today, but I found a way for the second set.”

Nishioka will take on Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Jaume Munar def. (4) Ben Shelton 6-2, 7-6(3)

A second upset on stadium court came directly after Tiafoe was knocked out of the tournament. Australian Open semifinalist Ben Shelton was surprised in straight sets by resurgent Spaniard Jaume Munar, who is ranked 64th in the world.

Munar won his first-round match against Yunchaokete Bu in straight sets, as well.

Shelton was out sorts from the start. The American was broken the first time when he was serving at 2-1 then again in the 5-2 game as he was attempting to keep the first set alive. The second set was far more competitive and featured better tennis from the world No. 13. While Shelton earned the only two break-point chances in the set, he was unable to convert. Munar once again showed he was the superior player in the match, earning an early mini-break and holding onto it for the win.

Munar will play Matteo Arnaldi in the quarters.