Exciting Day No. 1 at Dallas Open as rising stars shine in Frisco
FRISCO — It was an exciting day of tennis on Day One of the Main Draw at the Dallas Open. The matches this afternoon were intense and fast-paced, featuring two rising American players.
The first match was American Brandon Holt against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina from Spain. Davidovich Fokina won the first set 6-1. However, the second set proved to be more competitive, with Holt holding his own. In the end, Davidovich Fokina won the second set 7-5, winning the match.
The second match of the afternoon was an electric showdown between American Chris Eubanks and Italian Matteo Arnaldi. Eubanks, who is 6-foot-7, has been a rising star in the sport, even reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2023.
However, Eubanks was unable to get ahead of Arnaldi's aggressive serves and quick returns. Arnaldi saved a pivotal breakpoint in the second set, as the 23-year-old pulled through and won the match in two sets — his first win ever in the Dallas Open.
"Playing with Chris is never easy. He serves really, really fast. And, you know, he tries to come to the net, to be aggressive. It's never easy to play with him. Today, I just tried to hold my serve and get a few occasions to serve and break it straight away," Arnaldi told CBS News Texas.
When asked how he liked playing in the Dallas Open and in Frisco for the first time, he said, "This year I came straight from Australia, and I'm very happy to be here. I'm enjoying it. It's a 500 this year. It's a little bit bigger. So, I love the new facility and everything, and I really enjoy it," Arnaldi added.
Tennis fans also got to see the best of the best practice this morning. Dallas Open defending champion and No. 9 ranked American, Tommy Paul, had an off day today and was seen on the practice court. Paul is scheduled to play at noon tomorrow, and No. 5 ranked Casper Ruud is set to play tomorrow night against American Marcus Giron.
Matches continue Monday night. SMU's own Trevor Svadja will go against American Ethan Quinn in the second match of the evening. It was a very energetic second day of tennis at the Ford Center.
