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Exclusive: For first time since 1989, professional men's tennis league returns to Dallas

Formerly known as the New York Open, the tournament will be the only indoor championship in the U.S.

DALLAS — Men’s professional tennis is coming back to Dallas for the first time since 1989.

The Dallas Open, an ATP 250 men’s tennis tournament, will be held next February at the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex at Southern Methodist University. Formerly known as the New York Open, the tournament will be the only indoor championship in the U.S.

This is the first time Dallas will host an ATP event since The World Championship of Tennis Finals left Reunion Arena in 1989.

“Dallas is such a strong market with some of the tennis communities they have, that we thought that it made sense for us to have (the tournament there),” said Peter Lebedevs, tournament director of the Dallas Open. “Everybody we've spoken to so far has been saying, ‘Wow, this has been so long. We're so excited about it.’ It tells us that decision to come here was really, really good.”

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GF Sports & Entertainment owns the Dallas Open as well as the Truist Atlanta Open, which has seen an economic impact of approximately $10.3 million, according to a study done by the company. GF Sports & Entertainment chose North Texas because of the facilities and opportunities provided by hosting the event at SMU, said Shawn Tilger, the company’s president.

Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex has six indoor courts and a training center on the site that formerly housed Mrs. Baird’s Bakery at the corner of Mockingbird Lane and North Central Expressway. The facility was built in 2015 and fits the intimate atmosphere that GF Sports & Entertainment was looking for.

“If you're sitting 130 feet away in a nosebleed section, that just doesn't create what we want to do for tennis,” Lebedevs said. “We want to create an opportunity for everybody and feel like they're really a part of it on the court, you can hear the guy's grunting, if you're on that front row you're going to get that sweat so to speak. It's going to create that atmosphere that people walk away with memories from it.”

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