Tennis fans: this weekend is all about the Delray Beach Open
Feb 09, 2025
Florida tennis fans have their own Super Bowl (with racquets) right here in Delray Beach. After all, the Kansas City Chiefs aren't the only ones aiming for a three-peat as they take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Sunday's Super Bowl. Taylor Fritz, two-time defending champion at the Delray Beach Open, is going for his own three-peat. He'll open his defense on Thursday night.
So what happened yesterday at the DBO? Some cool events took place outside of the stadium. Florida Tennis attended the Legends Clinic which boasted some big names. The Bryan Brothers, Murphy Jensen, Sam Querry, Tommy Haas, and Ryan Harrison provided an informative clinic, fun drills, and a competitive atmosphere for the attendees to enjoy. Florida Tennis' Editor Matt Pressman and Contributor Adam Ross were on the scene and got quite a workout from the Legends!
Instagram: Florida Tennis
Meanwhile, on the clay courts behind the DBO stadium, USTA Florida had their kid's day which saw some some young talents practicing forehands, backhands, and smiles. Look out today for the ACEing Autism clinic and the DBO's Pro-Am both starting at 11am — rumor has it that Florida Tennis will officially be in the house!
Battling to get a spot in the DBO's main draw, Zachary Svajda, Ethan Quinn and James Trotter all won their first-round qualifying matches. What do they have in common? They're all proven champions. Svajda is a two-time USTA 18s champion, Quinn was the 2023 NCAA singles champion for Georgia and Trotter won the 2023 NCAA doubles title for Ohio State. Quinn faces Svajda for a spot in the main draw, while Trotter plays Japanese countryman Taro Daniel for a spot.
Above: James Trotter. Photo Credit: AndrewPatron/Delray Beach Open.
Four qualifiers will reach the main draw, with the other two matches pitting Americans Tristan Boyer and Murphy Cassone against each other, and American wild card Michael Mmoh against Dmitry Popko of Kazakhstan.
There's a lot on the line in the match between up-and-coming Americans Murphy Cassone and Tristan Boyer. If Cassone wins, he'll make his first ATP Tour main draw. If Boyer wins, he'll make his second Tour-level main draw - after last month's Australian Open, where he won his first round. Both were collegiate players - Boyer at Stanford, Cassone at Arizona State - and both have risen up the ATP rankings through the Challenger Circuit.
Above: Murphy Cassone. Photo Credit: AndrewPatron/Delray Beach Open.
It turns out that last year, Boyer tied the record for most Challenger match wins in a season for an American with 44. Cassone, through the ATP's Next Gen Accelerator Programme, received entries into the qualifying events of several Challengers and made the most of the opportunities, winning seven matches to win his first Challenger title last October in Calgary and almost repeating the feat last month in Thailand before falling in the semifinals.
There will be a minimum of 10 Americans in the main draw, with the possibility of 11 depending on Sunday's qualifying results. Second seed Tommy Paul has withdrawn due to a left shoulder injury. The draw will be updated on Sunday to reflect the change and add in the qualifiers and lucky loser.
Check out today's DBO schedule here. For more reporting on the Delray Beach Open, be sure to check out additional content from Florida Tennis contributor Adam Ross on Facebook and Associate Editor Osvaldo Godoy on Instagram.
Saturday's DBO Results
Qualifying - [Alt] Murphy Cassone (USA) def. [5] Mitchell Krueger (USA) 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(5)
Qualifying - [1] Tristan Boyer (USA) def. [WC] J.J. Wolf (USA) 2-1, retired (right shoulder)
Qualifying - [WC] Michael Mmoh (USA) def. [6] Radu Albot (Moldova) 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3
Qualifying - [8] James Trotter (Japan) def. [Alternate] Ryan Seggerman (USA) 6-1, 6-3
Qualifying - [2] Taro Daniel (Japan) def. [Alt] Liam Draxl (Canada) 7-6(6), 4-0, ret. (illness)
Qualifying - Ethan Quinn (USA) def. [4] Tomas Barrios Vera (Chile) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
Qualifying - [7] Zachary Svajda (USA) def. [Alternate] Stefan Kozlov (USA) 6-3, 6-0
Qualifying - Dmitry Popko (Kazakhstan) def. [3] Federico Agustin Gomez (Argentina) 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4)
Legends - Bob Bryan (USA) / Mike Bryan (USA) def. Tommy Haas (Germany) / Sam Querrey (USA) 6-3, 6-3
Legends - Murphy Jensen (USA) / Ryan Harrison (USA) def. Xavier Malisse (Belgium) / Scoville Jenkins (USA) 6-3, 7-6(8)
Legends - Tommy Haas (Germany) def. Steve Johnson (USA) 6-3, 6-1
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Source: Delray Beach Open. Photo Credit (top photo of Taro Daniel): AndrewPatron/Delray Beach Open.