The Dallas Open has taken over Frisco this week, a far cry from its inaugural tournament at the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex at SMU just four years ago. 

Now, the Star – best known as the Dallas Cowboys’ headquarters – has become the epicenter of tennis in North Texas.

A tournament born from a meeting

One of the masterminds behind the inception of the tournament is SMU men’s tennis coach Grant Chen.

The event came about after a scheduled 30‑minute meeting between Chen and several other organizers turned into a three‑hour conversation that ultimately led to what the Dallas Open is today.

“It’s been a remarkable ride,” Chen said. “It’s almost like a movie. This all started with a lunch on December 17th, 2020. To see it six years later to come to this….it’s so great for the DFW, it’s great for the metroplex, it’s great for sports and it’s great for Tennis.”

Participation and interest on the rise

The growth can be seen not just in the venue, but in the sport itself.

Tennis has seen a boom in participation over the last five years, according to statistics from the U.S. Tennis Association.

As of Feb. 2, 2026, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas and Baylor are all ranked in the ITA Top 25 in collegiate tennis.

American stars fueling momentum

This year’s tournament has no shortage of American talent.

Players like Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton are headliners in this year’s Dallas Open, and having these players front and center has helped the sport evolve in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.

“If you look at UIL and high school tennis, that’s been taking off,” Chen said. “You look at college tennis, Texas has some of the top collegiate teams in the country between TCU, Baylor, SMU, UT, A&M, Rice, you name it.”

Looking ahead to future growth

So where does the tournament go from here?

Chen says he’s looking to keep growing the event, but for now, he’s just like the fans who come to the Dallas Open — excited to watch the best of the best take the stage.

“Like they say, everything is bigger in Texas,” Chen said. “How do we make it bigger, better, stronger, faster for 2027. But for right now, the ’26 event is going on, the lineup the next couple of days is unreal.”

Texas A&M’s 2027 recruiting class is in clear contention to finish as the No. 1-ranked cycle, already landing ten commitments, including four-star quarterback Jayce Johnson, who will reportedly take an official visit to College Station in late May. So far, head coach Mike Elko and his staff are leading with several blue-chip prospects at nearly every position group, including five-star edge Zyron Forstall.

Forstall has been a top target for Elko and his defensive line coaching staff for quite some time, and with Elijah Robinson back on staff, the Aggies have made significant progress with the elite pass rusher, who Elko has compared to unanimous All-American Cashius Howell, who is headed to the NFL next season.

On Monday, Rivals recruiting experts Steve Wiltfong and Sam Spiegelman released their prediction for Texas A&M to land Forstall, as the momentum continues, especially on the defensive side. So far, Elko has landed commitments from four-star defensive linemen Myels Smith, Elijah Patmon, and Kaden McCarty, and will be in the running for several other names in the defensive trenches.

After sending defensive linemen Nic Scourt, Shemar Stewart, and Shemar Turner to the 2025 NFL Draft, all going in the first and second rounds, Cashius Howell is already being predicted as a first-round selection, and you can be sure that Zyron Forstall is paying close attention to Elko’s development track record with elite pass rushers.