The Dallas Open had moved up quick and slick, The Ford Center at The Star is an incredible venue, built for any event needing some elbow room, facilities to spare, and all the charm of a metal barn. Had to miss last year's introduction of the tournament's new location due to unavoidable conflicts. No neighborhood walkups like the old SMU days, no mazy corridors, no makeshift portable bathrooms. There's lots to love about the new setup, and nostalgia is mostly worthless, so we gonzo on regardless. Access is easy, parking galore, seen football, basketball, lacrosse, and now tennis, in the same space.
Had a real posse with me for the Wednesday evening session. My sweet wife and daughters, their plus ones, and my buddy Amos, who brought along his 8th grade son and his buddy, who were both trying out for the middle school tennis team. This could be the spark for them, an introduction into the higher levels of tennis talent, a vision of what could be. Our first match was highly contested with top seed Fritz out hitting Nakashima after dialing in his return of serve; it only takes two breaks for a server like Fritz. He's earned his cool way, a workhorse, a practice hound, a professional before his time, he's ready for a Grand Slam breakthrough, he's a slammer.
Next was Frances Tiafoe getting kicked around by Sebastian Korda in straight sets. Couldn't tell if it was too much Korda or an off night, but Tiafoe seemed demoralized by the 1-6 second set end. Impressive from Korda, serves were MPHing and he seems a smooth mover. A title in Dallas would put him back to the forefront of American male tennis hope, he reached #15 in the world in '24 before a shin stress fracture took him out for a few months. At #54 in the world currently, he seems ready for a move back into the top 20 in '26, one title can turn it all around.
