The draw for the Houston Open at River Oaks has been released and unsurprisingly, the home contingent feature heavily in the draw.
Recent Miami Masters champion John Isner is the top seed. The 6’10 big server recently moved back into the Top 10 after his surprise title win. Isner has a bye in the first round, and will face the winner of the match between Dustin Brown and Henri Laaksonen.
Delray Beach champion Frances Tiafoe takes on a fellow young American in the form of Mackenzie McDonald. McDonald made headlines when he took ATP Finals Champion Grigor Dimitrov to a close fifth set in the second round of the Australian Open. The winner of that one will face either Ernesto Escobedo or the defending champion Steve Johnson, who is seeded sixth.
Third seed Jack Sock also enjoys a bye in the first round, and will face Horacio Zeballos or a qualifier in the second round. Tim Smyczek is looking for a strong week to move back into the Top 100. He takes on NextGen hopeful Taylor Fritz. The winner of that one will face seventh seed Ryan Harrison or a qualifier.
There is the potential for a blockbuster match in the third section. Fifth seed Fernando Verdasco could meet fourth seed Nick Kyrgios in the quarter-finals. That is assuming the pair can negotiate a section that has players including Taro Daniel, Ivo Karlovic, and Bjorn Fratangelo.
The draw is completed by second seed Sam Querrey’s section. He could face Guido Pella in the second round. Nicolas Kicker and Donald Young also feature, with eighth seed Tennys Sandgren a potential quarter-final match-up for Querrey.
