FROM AROUND THE STATE Regional Directors

Adrien Chabria

So much great tennis news to report from Dallas.

Just about each day in Dallas, there’s a league practice or an actual dual match of some sort! Dallas Indoor League, Metro Tennis League, Tennis Competitors of Dallas with the weekend Mixed dubs, the Wednesday 50 and 60+ women’s divisions, and of course Thursday rainy Thursdays for the women’s dubs.

Favorite moments for busy racquet sports professionals and fans?

We enjoyed great seat just about every day of the WTA Finals in Fort Worth. Also in November, the Pro Pickleball Association held the packed Texas Open at the Oasis in Rockwall. DFW sent a successful squad down to the USPTA adult State tournament hosted by Jenny Gray in Houston, Texas in January.

What a blast seeing the growing cadre of Dallas residents prepare for the Australian Open on the courts here locally. So many sightings of standouts like Mitchell Krueger, Austin Krajicek, John Isner, Hans Hach, Joshua Sheehy, Nate Lammons, and Jackson Withrow, among others.

Just after the Oz Open, we were treated to the second running of the ATP 250 Dallas Open at the Altec Styslinger Tennis Complex at SMU. Tournament Director Peter Lebedevs implemented many initiatives including a ninety-minute collaborative clinic with the Dallas Tennis Association’s NJTL Excellence program. What a joy to see the second seeds, Nate Lammons and Jackson Withrow sweat it out with the kids during event!

Yi Bing Wu edged John Isner (tournament host) in a three-set thriller on Super Bowl Sunday, the 12th of February. Then, Jamie Murray and Michael Venus won a rollicking three set epic over local hopefuls, Nate Lammons and Jackson Withrow.

About a week later, the ATP Challenger Tour hit Waco, as Baylor hosted the Texas Tennis Classic. Kudos to USPTA professionals, Scott Mitchell and Bill Riddle for running a remarkable event. Ivan and Matej Sabanov edged Evan King and Mitch Krueger in the dubs final. Aleksandar Kovacevic beat Alexandre Muller in the singles final. This was during the ATX open, in which Marta Kostyuk defeated Varvara Gracheva in the singles final. Aldila Sutjiadi and Erin Routliffe defeated Ellen Perez and Nicole Melichar Martinez in the dubs final.

Last week ESPN2 covered a must-see TV Thursday Night College match right here in Dallas. Lights, cameras, and ball kids arranged by Christina Allen and Grant Chen! The Baylor Bears men’s team narrowly took the doubles point, then in the midst of several incredibly close three set singles match, managed to clinch 4-0. What a night for tennis in Dallas! What a season. The groundbreaker, gamechanger, Billie Jean King made an appearance at SMU in Dallas, TX the weekend of April 1.

Looking forward to the USPTA Course in conjunction with the ATP 250 Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston next week, then the conclusion of the college season.

Thankful for such a vibrant tennis scene here in our region. Cheers to a great spring and summer, y’all!