
The Dallas Challenger is one of the most lucrative of the year, with one hundred ATP points up for grabs. To highlight just how important winning one hundred points can be, more points can be earned by winning the Dallas Challenger than by reaching the semi-finals of the ATP 250 events this week in Montpellier, Quito, and Sofia.
Unsurprising then that some Top 100 players are in the draw, with Sam Groth and Kyle Edmund the top two seeds. Former top 70 player Tim Smyczek is under significant pressure to retain the title, as an early defeat could see him fall down the rankings. Young Americans Frances Tiafoe, and Ernesto Escobedo are also going to be worth watching. Jared Donaldson will be looking to arrest a poor start to the year, and Taylor Fritz is surprisingly absent.
Draw:
Sam Groth (2) vs Frances Tiafoe
Qualifier vs Connor Smith
Henri Laaksonen vs (alt) Marek Michalicka
Denys Molchanov vs (6) Tatsumo Ito
Benjamin Becker (3) vs (wc) Jean Anderson
Qualifier vs (wc) Ernesto Escobedo
Andrey Rublev vs Dan Evans
Jared Donaldson vs (8) Bjorn Fratangelo
Radu Albot (5) vs Qualifier
Qualifier vs Marco Trungelliti
Alex Kuznetsov (wc) vs Ryan Harrison
Mitchell Krueger (alt) vs (4) Tim Smyczek
John-Patrick Smith (7) vs Qualifier
Grega Zemlja vs Jason Jung
James McGee vs Dennis Novikov
Sekou Bangoura (wc) vs (2) Kyle Edmund
Highlight first-round matches and picks (in bold).
Sam Groth vs Frances Tiafoe: The player with the fastest recorded serve in history takes on a rising American star. Tiafoe enjoyed a great run in American Challengers last year, earning the USTA wildcard for the French Open. Groth has a fast serve but can struggle to back it up at times, and if Tiafoe can return enough serves and remain consistent from the back of the court he could spring an upset. Predicted winner: Groth in three sets.
Andrey Rublev vs Dan Evans: Russia’s upcoming next generation star Andrey Rublev takes on Britain’s talented but unpredictable Dan Evans. This match is likely to hinge on Evans’ form on the day, as his best is likely to be enough to beat Rublev. However, Rublev displays a higher level of consistency overall, and if Evans fails to produce a good level Rublev will surely win. Predicted winner: Rublev in three sets.
Qualifier vs Ernesto Escobedo: Ok, so Escobedo’s opponent has not yet been determined, but the young American has displayed enough talent to warrant his wildcard for this event with good results in recent Challengers and Futures. This could be for the first time for many to view another teenage American. Predicted winner: Escobedo
Mitchell Krueger vs Tim Smyczek: Last year’s defending champion Smyczek has seen his ranking fall after failing to translate his Challenger success to the main tour. Smyczek still remains an intimidating prospect on the Challenger Tour though. Krueger is the proverbial joker in the pack though, capable of completely defying ranking and form to produce shock results. He proved it last week by defeating fourth seed Bjorn Fratangelo in Maui last week. Winner: Smyczek in straight sets