Top seeds survive dramatic quarterfinals at the Nexo Dallas Open

Marin Čilić and Taylor Fritz advance to the semifinals after hard-fought matches.

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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The quarterfinals of the Nexo Dallas Open tennis tournament featured some intense matches, with top seeds Marin Čilić and Taylor Fritz both surviving tough challenges to advance to the semifinals. Čilić, a former U.S. Open champion, cruised to a straight-sets victory, while Fritz had to battle back from a set down against Sebastian Korda in a three-set thriller.

Why it matters

The Nexo Dallas Open is an important ATP Tour event, and the performances of the top seeds will be closely watched as they continue their pursuit of the title. Čilić and Fritz are both seasoned veterans looking to add another trophy to their collections, and their ability to grind out tough wins against up-and-coming players demonstrates their experience and resilience.

The details

In the first quarterfinal match, 37-year-old Marin Čilić, the only Grand Slam champion in the field, defeated Jack Pinnington Jones in straight sets. Čilić is chasing his first title in over two years and is looking to prove he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level. The match of the day came between top seed Taylor Fritz and Sebastian Korda, the brother of LPGA star Nelly Korda. Korda took the first set in a tiebreaker, pushing Fritz to the edge. But Fritz clawed his way back, winning the second set and forcing a decisive third set that went all the way to a 6-6 tiebreaker, where Fritz ultimately prevailed.

  • The quarterfinals of the Nexo Dallas Open were played on Saturday, February 14, 2026.

The players

Marin Čilić

A 37-year-old former U.S. Open champion who is chasing his first title in over two years.

Taylor Fritz

The top seed in the Nexo Dallas Open, who had to battle back from a set down to defeat Sebastian Korda in a three-set thriller.

Sebastian Korda

The brother of LPGA star Nelly Korda, who pushed top seed Taylor Fritz to the brink in their quarterfinal match.

Jack Pinnington Jones

The opponent of Marin Čilić in the quarterfinals, who was defeated in straight sets by the former Grand Slam champion.

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What they’re saying

“It goes really to the top. The tournament has done a really incredible job to make us feel here welcomed.”

— Marin Čilić (cbsnews.com)

“He was hitting a lot of really good shots. I felt like he was just... not missing too much. Returning well. I thought he was playing really well, and I felt I had to play really well to just hang with him.”

— Taylor Fritz (cbsnews.com)

What’s next

The semifinals of the Nexo Dallas Open will be played on Sunday, February 15, 2026.

The takeaway

The quarterfinal matches at the Nexo Dallas Open showcased the resilience and experience of the top seeds, as Marin Čilić and Taylor Fritz both survived tough challenges to advance to the semifinals. Their ability to grind out wins against up-and-coming players demonstrates the high level of competition at this ATP Tour event.