After ‘100s of DMs’, Ben Shelton pairs with Aleksandar Kovacevic for Dallas doubles win | ATP Tour

After ‘100s of DMs’, Shelton pairs with Kovacevic for Dallas doubles win

Individuals beat Dimitrov and Bulgarian school star Gerorgiev

February 10, 2026

After posting on Instagram about his seek for a Nexo Dallas Open doubles companion, Ben Shelton stated he acquired “100s of DMs” from potential teammates. After a gap win Monday, it appears he made the fitting selection in pairing with countryman Aleksandar Kovacevic for his first aggressive motion since his Australian Open singles quarter-final run.

On centre courtroom, the American duo earned a 5-7, 7-6(3), 10-3 win towards Bulgarians Grigor Dimitrov and Georgi Georgiev, the latter a present school participant at close by Southern Methodist College.

Regardless of lacking out on each of their break probabilities within the match, in accordance with Infosys ATP Stats, Kovacevic and Shelton rose to the event within the two tie-breaks to advance. They received the second-set tie-break by claiming its first level towards serve at 6/5, then raced to an 8/0 lead within the Match Tie-break. The Individuals fired 18 aces within the match, together with one from Kovacevic on match level, and received 88 per cent (49/46) of their first-serve factors.

Kovacevic and Shelton await both third-seeded Frenchmen Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul or American qualifier Tyler Hilderbrand and Mac Kiger within the quarter-finals. 

In the one different doubles match performed to this point this week in Dallas, Evan King and John Peers saved two match factors to upset fourth-seeded Individuals Robert Cash and James Tracy 7-6(1), 3-6, 11-9.