Shapovalov joins Ruud in Dallas final
The line-up for the final of the ATP 500 tournament in Dallas is now complete. After Casper Ruud's thrilling victory over Jaume Munar (6-2, 2-6, 7-6), it's time for the second semi-final.
A mouth-watering match-up between Denis Shapovalov and Tommy Paul, the last American player in the draw, took place.
The latter leads the Canadian 2-1, but it was Shapovalov who won their last meeting, in Cincinnati in 2022.
Confident after eliminating Miomir Kecmanovic, Taylor Fritz and Tomas Machac, the 25-year-old didn't start out as the favorite against Paul, but ended up dampening the crowd's enthusiasm (7-5, 6-3).
This is the first time since 2016 that the Dallas final (which was a Challenger at the time) will be played without an American player.
Back then, Kyle Edmund and Dan Evans battled it out for the title. Shapovalov will therefore face Ruud for the title and will be in the final of an ATP 500 for the first time since Vienna in 2022.
He will be aiming to win the third trophy of his career on the main circuit, following his previous successes in Stockholm in 2019 and Belgrade in 2024.
The Norwegian and the Canadian have already met twice. Ruud is 2-0 in head-to-head meetings, with victories in the final in Geneva in 2021 and the quarter-finals in Rome in 2022.
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