Forget the claustrophobia, forget the fluorescent lights tinting everyone, forget the kinks. Nevermind the visible seam in the court, overlook the $12 can of Dallas Blonde, forgive the Kyrgios and Dimitrov withdrawals. The Dallas Open is on! In the snazziest area of the city, with a draw full of top 50 players. Back in business like we was with the WTC decades ago, professional tennis has finally returned.
First night of the main draw. It was Monday, when grinding the grind is most important, when the bill money is made. My seat had me looking directly down the middle of the burnt orange stadium court, row 7, seat 11; the place was like a sauna, it smelled of cheap Cabernet Sauvingon and popcorn. In the first match, the young American, Nakashima, took down Millman from Australia with a powerful first serve and a backhand that eventually came around. Millman was tight, jittery, and constantly looking to his coach in the stands, he was merely acting confident.
Sock and Isner playing doubles was next and they nuked the Nedovyesov/Quereshi duo with massive forehands and serves. They'll be tough to beat, but Isner could be distracted by his tournament host status. A migrant to Dallas, he sunk his efforts into helping bring back professional tennis. America's greatest male tennis player of the past two decades--a Texan. An ace.