Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, and Tommy Paul are all involved, searching for a first title of the year.

Paul was the champion in Dallas last year, as he won the final ATP 250 edition of the event, dropping just one set all tournament.

The man who Paul beat in last year’s final was set to play world number five Ruud in the first round this time, before a last-minute change had everyone confused.

Just five minutes before the players were scheduled to walk out on court, the Norwegian’s opponent withdrew due to injury.

Ruud then took on Australia’s James Duckworth, who he beat in a three-set thriller on Centre Court, although some fans were left less than impressed with last year’s finalist’s late withdrawal.

Some tennis fans call for Marcos Giron to be fined after withdrawing minutes before Casper Ruud match

World number 41 Marcos Giron withdrew from his first round match in Dallas, just minutes before he was scheduled to take on former three-time Grand Slam finalist Ruud.

Several fans took to X, to share their displeasure with the American’s decision to withdraw late on.

“Shaking my head, I just watched him [Giron] warm up for 30 minutes,” said one fan.

“Looked like he was hitting fine.

“I was looking forward to watching him.”

“There needs to be a fine or something,” said one fan.

“Such a bad look.”

“I waited so long for this match,” said another disappointed tennis fan.

Others praised Duckworth for his performance as a late replacement, running Ruud close in Dallas.

“It’s truly incredible that James Duckworth was able to replace Marcos Giron in five minutes and then have to go up against Casper Ruud,” said one fan on X.

“Props to Duckworth,” added another.

“Wonder if he was told to be ready earlier.”

“I wonder how long it took Duckworth to get there?” questioned one tennis fan.

Duckworth eventually lost in three sets 5-7, 6-4, 2-6, and while some praised him for his efforts, others believe Giron would’ve given Ruud a better game.

“A healthy Marcus Giron beats Casper Ruud tonight,” suggested one tennis fan.

Giron lost to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open earlier this year, as he matched his career-best Grand Slam performance.

The American will now drop in the rankings, after failing to defend his finalist points from last year, something fans picked up on fairly quickly.

“Tough rankings points drop for Giron, who was a finalist in Dallas last year,” said one fan.

“Aw, sucks man,” said another.

“Watched Giron in the final last year, tough to lose those points.”

With his win over Duckworth, Ruud will now advance to play the winner of Roberto Carballes Baena and Michael Mmoh in the second round.

Who else won in the first round of the 2025 Dallas Open?

As the first round in Dallas draws to a close, several top seeds have made it through to the last 16, although one big American name suffered an early exit.

• Rinky Hijikata beat Adrian Mannarino
• [8] Matteo Arnaldi beat Chris Eubanks
• Alejandro Davidovich Fokina beat Brandon Holt
• Cameron Norrie beat [7] Alex Michelsen
• [3] Tommy Paul beat Jenson Brooksby
• Ethan Quinn beat Trevor Svajda
• [5] Frances Tiafoe beat Taro Daniel
• [2] Casper Ruud beat James Duckworth
• [4] Ben Shelton beat Aleksandar Vukic

Of the six seeds to play, only one has been defeated, as America’s Alex Michelsen fell in three sets to Britain’s Cameron Norrie.

Michelsen had enjoyed a strong performance at last month’s Australian Open, reaching the fourth round before coming up short against home favorite Alex de Minaur.

The 20-year-old will be disappointed not to have capitalized on his good form, instead losing out to the world number 63, 6-2, 6-7, 1-6.

There are just two seeded players left to play in the first round, as Tomas Machac and world number four Fritz take to the court later on Wednesday.

Fritz will play Arthur Rinderknech in Dallas, a man who he has a lot of history with, after their disagreements in Paris two years ago, and at Wimbledon last year.

Czech star Machac will take on Kei Nishikori, who marked his return to Grand Slam tennis with a stunning five-set first-round win in Melbourne last month.

Fritz and Machac will take to the court in Dallas on Wednesday before the second round gets underway on Thursday.

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