Tomas Machac just produced his best performance of the season, dominating Kei Nishikori 6-2, 6-2 in his Dallas opener.
2025 ATP Tour
ATP 500
Dallas Open
Ford Centre by the Sea, Frisco, USA (Indoor Hardcourt)
Selected Round of 16 Matches- 6th February
Tomas Machac (6) (2/13) vs Rinky Hijikata (44/10)
The versatile Czech was on another level throughout the match, winning 39% of points on Nishikori’s first serve. The athletic Czech was immense from the baseline and looks like a solid sleeper option this week. Machac made some major inroads during last year’s campaign, reaching the 4th round of the US Open before a maiden Masters 1000 semifinal run in Shanghai (where he accounted for the likes of Alcaraz and Tommy Paul). He started his 2025 campaign in surreal fashion, inexplicably retiring in a crunch United Cup semifinal clash with Taylor Fritz (which also featured him wildly gesticulating at his coaching staff). The official excuse was cramp, but many felt that it was just a stunning mental collapse. The Czech made it to the 3rd round of the Aussie Open before being humbled by a red-hot Djokovic.
Rinky Hikijata looked assured in his Dallas opener, compounding Adrian Mannarino’s recent misery with a comfortable 7-5, 6-3 win. The Aussie was serene on serve, winning 79% of his first-serve points and not facing a single break point in the entire match (serving five aces in the process). It was quite impressive considering Hijikata is not renowned for a dominant serve. The Aussie is like a Diet Coke version of Alex de Minaur, using his crazy speed and determination to chase down lost causes. He did produce a series of solid results last season, reaching four quarterfinals to briefly enter the top 65 in the world. He reached another quarterfinal earlier this year, beating 7th seed Brandon Nakashima in Adelaide. But he couldn’t build on that, losing easily to Mitchell Krueger at the Aussie Open. He was then dumped out in the early stages of the Canberra Challenger (despite being top seed). Given his recent form, he was quite fortunate to draw the woefully out of form Mannarino in his opener. Can he use that easy win as a confidence booster going forward?
The Verdict: Machac to win in straight sets at 49/100- Hijikata leads the head-to-head 1-0, taking down the Czech in a closely fought Brisbane clash last year. I just think that Machac has developed far too much in the past 12 months or so. The Czech gave a complete performance in his opener, hitting some crunching forehands and impressing with that incredibly versatile backhand. Machac has the athleticism to match Hijikata’s hustle, and this should be an easy win.
Reily Opelka (71/100) vs Cameron Norrie (11/10)
American servebot Reily Opelka looked comfortable in his first outing since that epic Aussie Open 2nd round defeat to Tomas Machac, seeing off Shevchenko in straight sets to get his Dallas
campaign underway. He was typically brutal on his own delivery, hitting 18 winners and winning 83% of his first-serve points. The 27-year-old has enjoyed an encouraging start to this campaign, reaching his first final in three years at the Brisbane International (where he beat Djokovic before withdrawing from the final due to back issues). The 27-year-old has suffered numerous injury issues these past few years, even picking up a side-hustle as a model to pass the time. But a fully fit Opelka is something to fear- especially in North American conditions. Six of his seven ATP Finals have been played in North America (including that career-best runner-up finish at the 2021 Canadian Open). Moreover, he won the first edition of this event, beating Jenson Brooksby in the 2022 final. Ever a popular figure, Opelka will be looking to become the first person to win this event since its elevation to ATP 500 status.
It’s been quite a fall from grace for Cameron Norrie these past few seasons. The nuggety lefty won the 2021 Indian Wells Masters title, rising to a career-high 8th in the world in 2022. But loss of form and some injury issues see him currently hovering in and around the top 50 mark. He had a particularly disappointing 2024 campaign, with a runner-up finish in Moselle and a semi-final run in Rio his only meaningful results. The counterpunching Brit started his 2025 campaign in decent fashion, picking up a quarterfinal finish in Hong Kong. But he hit rock bottom in Auckland, thrashed by clay-court specialist Diaz in his first-round clash. Furthermore, Norrie was almost disqualified after accidentally striking a spectator with his racquet. He crashed out early at the Aussie Open and went into his clash with Alex Michelson as a bit of an underdog. And he was back on his heels in the early stages of that match, overwhelmed by the America’s easy power in the first set. To his credit, Norrie dug in, grinding out the 2nd set before romping home to a 2-6, 7-6, 6-1 victory. He heaped enormous pressure on Michelson’s delivery in the decisive set, winning all seven of his 2nd serve return points. He will need to be even more efficient against Opelka’s megawatt delivery.
The Verdict: Opelka to win in straight sets at 33/20- Norrie leads the head-to-head 2-1, winning their most recent meeting at the 2022 Delray Beach Open. To be fair, Norrie was very much in his pomp during their previous meetings. The Brit has been struggling with confidence of late and could struggle with Opelka’s delivery on these slick indoor surfaces.
