A behind-the-back shot by Taylor Fritz during his quarterfinal match against Sebastian Korda at the Dallas Open on Friday has quickly emerged as a contender for shot of the year. The stunning play occurred during the first set of their match at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
Fritz, currently ranked No. 7 in the world, is competing in the ATP 500 tournament alongside other notable players, including Ben Shelton. The Dallas Open, elevated to ATP 500 status last season, runs from February 9-15.
The match between Fritz and Korda was highly anticipated, with Fritz entering as the favorite, holding -180 odds to win according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Korda, ranked No. 53, had +140 odds. The implied probability favored Fritz, giving him a 64.3% chance of victory.
Through 13 tournaments on hard courts over the past year, Fritz has a record of 30-14. He boasts an 84.0% winning percentage on his service games and a 22.9% winning percentage on return games on the same surface. He had recently been eliminated from the Australian Open in the Round of 16 by Lorenzo Musetti.
Korda entered the quarterfinals with an 18-14 record in 14 tournaments on hard courts over the last 12 months. His service game win percentage on hard courts is 79.6%, while his return game win percentage is 22.5%. Korda was previously defeated in the Round of 128 of the Australian Open by Michael Zheng.
As of Friday morning, Fritz also held +250 odds to win the entire tournament, while Korda was at +600. The match between Fritz and Korda is part of the quarterfinal round, with the winner advancing to the next stage of the competition.
