{"id":19313,"date":"2024-02-10T00:17:14","date_gmt":"2024-02-10T05:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/frances-tiafoe-ousted-by-marcos-giron-in-dallas-open-quarters\/10\/02\/2024\/"},"modified":"2024-02-10T00:17:14","modified_gmt":"2024-02-10T05:17:14","slug":"frances-tiafoe-ousted-by-marcos-giron-in-dallas-open-quarters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/frances-tiafoe-ousted-by-marcos-giron-in-dallas-open-quarters\/10\/02\/2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Frances Tiafoe ousted by Marcos Giron in Dallas Open quarters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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DALLAS — Frances Tiafoe<\/a> can attend his own bobblehead night at the Washington Wizards<\/a> game if he wants.<\/p>\n

The No. 1 seed in the Dallas Open was hoping for a conflict.<\/p>\n

Unseeded Marcos Giron<\/a> stunned Tiafoe early and rolled to a 6-1, 6-4 victory Friday night to reach the semifinals of the hardcourt event on the SMU campus for the second time in three years.<\/p>\n

Tiafoe, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 14, expected to be in Dallas for the semifinals Saturday, when — more than 1,300 miles away — the Wizards will be handing out 10,000 Tiafoe bobbleheads<\/a> for a game against Philadelphia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Giron’s victory in the quarterfinals — his 12th win over a top 20 opponent — freed up his fellow American’s calendar. The 30-year-old still seeking his first ATP Tour title lost to Tiafoe 6-2, 6-2 at Indian Wells almost a year ago.<\/p>\n

“I was excited to play him again,” said Giron, who won the first three points on each of Tiafoe’s first two service games on the way to a 5-0 lead. “Margins are thin. I knew that I was playing well.”<\/p>\n

Ben Shelton<\/a> rallied for a 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-4 victory over Jordan Thompson<\/a>, and the third-seeded American will face countryman Tommy Paul<\/a> in the semifinals. Paul, the No. 2 seed, beat Dominik Koepfer<\/a> of Germany, 7-5, 6-3.<\/p>\n

Giron will face France’s Adrian Mannarino<\/a>, the fourth seed who has reached the semifinals without playing a complete match. In his first match of the tournament, Mannarino beat James Duckworth<\/a> when the Australian retired with an injury with Mannarino leading, 6-2, 3-1.<\/p>\n

Shelton saved three break points in the clinching game after doing the same when serving for the second set in a match that didn’t even have a break point until the 19th game.<\/p>\n

The 21-year-old seeking his second ATP Tour victory won with a forehand that hit the baseline on his second match point.<\/p>\n

Shelton lost in five sets to Mannarino in the third round of the Australian Open after losing to Novak Djokovic<\/a> in the US Open semifinals last summer.<\/p>\n

“I think any time you can come back and get a win after losing the first set, it’s impressive, especially against someone who serves as well as Jordan does,” Shelton said. “He presented so many problems today. I had to problem-solve the whole match.”<\/p>\n

After a first set without a break point, the server won the first three points of the tiebreaker before Thompson’s crosscourt winner on a volley with both players at the net for a 3-1 lead.<\/p>\n

Thompson, the No. 7 seed from Australia, went on to win six straight points for a 6-1 lead and closed out the set two points later when a shot from Shelton sailed long.<\/p>\n

Shelton earned the first break points of the match when he got three at 3-3 in the second set. He converted the third with a forehand winner on the return of serve, then finally closed out the set on his serve when he converted a third set point after saving Thompson’s first three break points of the match.<\/p>\n

Shelton’s best game came at 3-3 of the third set when he had three winners to break Thompson at love. The big-serving left-hander topped 140 mph several times while holding off Thompson in the deciding game.<\/p>\n

Koepfer committed two unforced errors to help give Paul three set points in the opening set, and Paul finished it off with a deep forehand that forced Koepfer to put another one in the net.<\/p>\n

Paul closed out the match with a forehand winner on his fifth match point.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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DALLAS — Frances Tiafoe can attend his own bobblehead night at the Washington Wizards game if he wants. The No. 1 seed