Taylor Fritz outlasts Sebastian Korda in Dallas quarterfinal thriller

Taylor Fritz and Sebastian Korda delivered a tight, all-American quarterfinal in Dallas on Friday night, with Fritz surviving two tiebreak swings to move on in one of the tournament’s most intense matches so far. The result keeps the top seed on track for a title run on indoor hard courts and extends a head-to-head edge that has tilted Fritz’s way in their biggest meetings.

Fritz won 6-7(2), 6-4, 7-6(7) on Feb. 13, 2026 (ET), advancing to the semifinals after nearly three hours of narrow margins and heavy serving.

A match decided by tiebreak nerve

The scoreline told the story: Korda grabbed the opener in a tiebreak, Fritz answered by finally landing a break in the second set, and the third set turned into a pressure cooker that ended in a final-set tiebreak.

Both players leaned on first-strike tennis—big serves, quick forehands, and short points when possible. In the deciding set, neither man gave much away, and the tiebreak became a test of who could stay aggressive without blinking. Fritz’s ability to play forward and finish at net at key moments helped him hold the line when Korda threatened late.

The win also reinforced a broader trend: when Fritz is healthy and moving well, indoor hard courts remain one of his best environments for sustained, repeatable offense.

What the numbers showed

Fritz’s serve carried him through turbulence. He piled up aces and consistently earned free points, even when rallies were scarce. Korda also served well and kept his unforced errors under control, but the difference came down to a handful of points in the highest-leverage moments—especially in the two tiebreakers.

Korda had entered the week looking for a steadier start to 2026 after an uneven run of results, and his level in Dallas has been a positive signal. Still, the loss stings because he was one tiebreak away from a signature win that could have changed the tone of his season.

Fritz’s path forward in Dallas

The tournament’s closing weekend now becomes a sprint. Fritz’s victory puts him into Saturday’s semifinals, where the biggest challenge is often physical as much as tactical: recover from a long match, keep the legs fresh on a fast surface, and maintain focus against a new opponent with a different rhythm.

On the other side of the bracket, several notable names remain in the hunt, and the field has been volatile all week. That volatility can help a top seed—fewer seeded threats—but it also raises the chance of facing an opponent playing with nothing to lose.

Weekend schedule and what’s next

Saturday features two semifinal sessions, followed by Sunday’s championship match. Times below are listed in ET.

For Fritz, the immediate priority will be managing serving patterns and return positioning. Indoors, a match can turn on a single loose service game or one shaky tiebreak. Expect him to keep points short when possible, protect his second serve, and look to create openings with the forehand to avoid extended neutral exchanges.

What it means for both Americans

For Fritz, this win is the kind of January-and-February grind that builds confidence before the heavier months: tight matches, hostile scorelines, and moments where the margin is one swing. He has now won three straight matches in Dallas, including two against fellow Americans, and the tournament offers a clear opportunity to stack victories and sharpen form.

For Korda, the takeaway is complicated. The level he showed—especially his composure in the first-set tiebreak and his ability to hold serve under constant pressure—suggests he’s closer to the version of himself that once pushed into the top tier. But the closing skills in the biggest moments still need to arrive more consistently. If he can translate this week’s serving and ball-striking into the next stretch of tournaments, Dallas may end up reading less like a missed chance and more like a turning point.