By Reeves Eddins
Professional tennis has returned to Dallas for the first time in over 30 years. Taking place this week at the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex on the campus of SMU, the Dallas Open is a week-long tournament showcasing over 60 world-class ATP Tour professionals in singles and doubles competition.
“It’s exciting to have ATP Tour tennis coming back to Dallas, a city with such a rich sporting culture and strong roots in tennis,” said ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.
Play is going on all week, with the Semifinals held on Saturday and the Finals on Sunday.
The inaugural tournament is being televised worldwide to more than 100 countries, including more than 20 hours set to broadcast on the Tennis Channel. It is one of only 10 ATP Tour events in the United States this season and the only indoor championship.
The competitive field is highlighted by Taylor Fritz, currently the top-ranked American player, John Isner, a Dallas resident and the former No. 1 American player, Kei Nishikori, the top Asian men’s player and former World No. 4 and Reilly Opelka, a top-three American player and top 25 in the world.
“This player field is really strong and filled with many players capable of winning the title,” said John Isner. “I am excited to showcase Dallas to my fellow ATP players and look forward to playing in my hometown tournament.”
Unlike other ATP Tour tennis tournaments that offer blue and green courts, the Dallas Open is being played on a unique red court. Surrounded by midnight blue, the court’s palette has a hometown feel and reflects the host university’s own colors of SMU red and blue.
“The combination of green and blue is such a classic, timeless tennis court,” said Grant Chen, SMU’s Head Tennis Coach. “Obviously, you can see the ball well and it’s a nice balance, but we wanted to try something a little bit different. We went with the SMU colors, red, white and blue, and with the red on the inside, blue on the outside, it really pops. It’s something different and something that has been really well received by players.”
Designed by Laykold, the official court surface of the U.S. Open and chosen by eight out of the top 13 hard court tournaments in the United States and Canada, the scarlet red court is the first of its kind in the history of the ATP tour in North America, spanning over 30 years.
The Dallas Open, previously held as the New York Open, is one of the longest-running American tournaments on the ATP Tour. Its rich history features some of the top names in tennis, including legends John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Michael Chang, and Andy Murray, and a current generation of stars like Kei Nishikori, Milos Raonic, and Reilly Opelka.
Schedules and more information at Dallasopen.com
