River Oaks Receives High Marks As U.S. Men's Clay Court Host

River Oaks Country Club in Houston, which last week hosted for the first time the ATP Tour U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, appears to have "met or exceeded every requirement necessary for keeping [the tournament] for at least another four years," according to Dale Robertson of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. The tennis was "aesthetically pleasing and occasionally riveting despite the dearth of household names," and as for the behind-the-scenes details, which the USTA will "revisit before it re-ups, nothing close to a deal-breaking snafu or dispute cropped up." However, the USTA would "like to see improvement in one area: getting more of the club members into the stands early, or having a backup plan to fill their empty seats." But every player who made his debut at the club was "somewhere between complimentary and gushing with praise," and Robertson writes, "If the players are happy, the ATP and the USTA should be happy" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 4/22).