The ATP action in America does not end after the 2025 Indian Wells Open and 2025 Miami Open, with the 2025 Houston Open scheduled for March 31st until April 6th.
Although the tournament was founded in 1910, it has been played in Houston since 2001. Andy Roddick won the 2001 and 2002 editions before Andre Agassi was the champion in 2003.
The last three iterations have been won by American players. Reilly Opelka, who wants all doubles eliminated, defeated John Isner in the 2022 final. Frances Tiafoe overcame Tomas Martin Etcheverry in 2023, and Ben Shelton triumphed over Tiafoe last year.
Shelton’s title run marked a significant moment for him since he had never played on clay before the start of his professional career, although the Houston clay courts are faster and lower-bouncing than most others in the world.
The 2024 final between Shelton, who recently discussed his dating life, and Tiafoe was thoroughly entertaining. Fans would probably have been happy to see the pair meet again at the showpiece match in Houston.
However, that does not look like it will be possible. Shelton is not on the entry list for this year’s Houston Open and can only play if he decides late and the tournament agrees to give him a wild card.
Tiafoe is set to return to the tournament, though. The American has gotten off to a slow start this year and has not produced his best tennis since impressive form before and during last year’s US Open.
After finishing as the runner-up to Jannik Sinner at the 2024 Cincinnati Open, Tiafoe reached his second US Open semifinal a couple of weeks later and was one set away from the final but suffered a heartbreaking loss to Taylor Fritz.
It seems like Tiafoe has struggled to recover from that moment. His form was also below what he is capable of in the tournaments in 2024 that followed the US Open, making it several months of struggle by his standards.
Tommy Paul is another top American on the entry list. His understated nature and playing style, which do not rely on flashiness or overwhelming power, mean he flies somewhat under the radar despite consistently being close to the Top 10.
Having said that, clay has been Paul’s weakest surface throughout his career. None of his seven ATP finals have come on the dirt, and the French Open is the only Grand Slam where he has yet to reach at least the fourth round.
Emerging talent Alex Michelsen is a third exciting American name on the entry list. His huge serve and forehand are dangerous in any conditions, and other players will not want to face him in the early rounds.
Kei Nishikori, 2014 US Open runner-up, is also on the Houston Open entry list. The Japanese star looked like he would retire after an injury nightmare from 2021 until last year, but he has courageously fought his way back.
Other players on the Houston Open entry list include Christopher Eubanks, Jordan Thompson, Brandon Nakashima, and Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
2025 Houston Open ATP Players Entry List:
| Seed | Name | Entry Ranking |
| 1 | Tommy Paul | 11 |
| 2 | Frances Tiafoe | 17 |
| 3 | Alejandro Tabilo | 31 |
| 4 | Alex Michelsen | 32 |
| 5 | Brandon Nakashima | 33 |
| 6 | Jordan Thompson | 38 |
| 7 | Tomas Martin Etcheverry | 45 |
| 8 | Marcos Giron | 48 |
| Juncheng Shang | 55 | |
| Learner Tien | 68 | |
| Kei Nishikori | 76 | |
| Rinky Hijikata | 83 | |
| Aleksandar Kovacevic | 94 | |
| Adam Walton | 96 | |
| James Duckworth | 97 | |
| Christopher Eubanks | 104 | |
| Thiago Monteiro | 105 | |
| Reilly Opelka | (WC) | |
| Yibing Wu | 108 (PR) |
