Houston kicks off 85th anniversary with white party

The U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston kicked off its 85th anniversary with the annual white party on Monday.

The ATP 250 event attracts a slew of top American players including two-time defending champion Steve Johnson, former word No. 11 Sam Querrey and top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan.

"I love Houston. It's one of the best tournaments in the U.S. and one of the best attended ATP 250s I think you can find even from first-round qualifying," Reilly Opelka said. "You should have seen it the other day it was a full house here."

Opelka is the No. 4 seed just three years after making his ATP debut in Houston as a lucky loser ranked No. 1,008. He's now up to No. 56 having won his first title in New York in February.

"I'm the main draw of pretty much every tournament so it's easier to plan my schedule," Opelka said. "It's made life a lot easier being close to the Top 50 than where I was last year."

The top seed this week is Johnson, who won the title in 2017 and 2018. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Houston Astros game.

Johnson opens against qualifier Daniel Elahi Galan or Paolo Lorenzi, while Opelka will face Casper Ruud.