Fans at the 2025 Dallas Open will be treated to an exhibition match between former Grand Slam champions and WTA legends Kim Clijsters and Martina Hingis.
Next year's Dallas Open will be an ATP 500-level tournament, upgraded from its previous 250 status. That alone should be enough to attract more high-quality players to the event in Texas.
The 2023 Dallas Open featured one of the most underrated finals of the ATP season. Tommy Paul overcame compatriot Marcos Giron in three sets after a match of stunning quality from both men.
An exhibition featuring two iconic female players will only add to the excitement before the event, but there have been many high-profile exhibitions containing great players in recent months.
October's Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia was the most financially lucrative in tennis history. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Danill Medvedev, and Holger Rune were the players who signed up.
Sinner defeated Alcaraz in the final of the Six Kings Slam to win the largest paycheck in tennis history: $6,000,000. The Italian insisted afterward that he does not play for money, but many fans were skeptical of that answer.
That exhibition in Saudi Arabia is also notable for being the final match of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal's rivalry before the latter retired at last month's Davis Cup Finals. Djokovic prevailed in straight sets.
Carlos Alcaraz competed in two exhibitions in the United States this month. The first was a victory against Ben Shelton at Madison Square Garden before being defeated by Frances Tiafoe in Charlotte.
Hopefully, Clijsters and Hingis' exhibition lives up to expectations. Clijsters is a four-time Grand Slam champion, including three US Open titles. She now comments regularly on the sport as an analyst.
Hingis won three Australian Opens and a title each at Wimbledon and the US Open in singles. The Swiss was also a highly successful doubles player, securing 13 women's doubles Grand Slams and seven mixed doubles major titles.
Clijsters and Hingis played nine times during their careers. The Belgian ended with a 5-4 advantage, including winning their last four matches. Their last contest was an enthralling three-set battle in the 2007 Australian Open quarterfinals.
In the official announcement of the exhibitions, Clijsters expressed her excitement about competing against a great champion like Hingis in front of the fans in Texas.
“I’m excited to play in the Women’s Tennis Classic at the 2025 Dallas Open. It’s an honor to share the court with a great champion like Martina Hingis. I am looking forward to playing against her once again, this time in front of the incredible tennis fans in Texas.”
Hingis called the opportunity to play against Hingis in Dallas a privilege and is excited to step onto the court with a player she battled against several times during her professional career.
“Being part of the Women’s Tennis Classic at the Dallas Open is such an exciting opportunity. Kim Clijsters and I have had some great battles in the past, and it’s always a privilege to step on the court with her.”