Jenson Brooksby fended off three consecutive match points Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship.
The American overcame third seed Alejandro Tabilo 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(6) after a two-hour, 49-minute battle in blustery conditions. On the brink of defeat at 3/6 in the deciding-set tie-break, World No. 507 Brooksby swung freely and tallied five consecutive points to become the lowest-ranked quarter-finalist in Houston tournament history.
“I’m still a little bit shocked,” Brooksby said in his on-court interview. “That was a lot of back and forth. I knew he was a great competitor and I knew it would be a battle out here. I think it kind of reminded me of my first match here. You can just never quit until it’s the last point.”
Brooksby, 24, will next face Aleksandar Kovacevic or Frenchman Corentin Denolly.
Tommy Paul survived a hard-fought clash with 2019 champion Cristian Garin 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(5). Both players treated the fans to superb shotmaking in an absorbing two-hour, 42-minute match, which featured a 10-deuce, 16-minute opening game.
“Today was a tricky, rollercoaster match. I feel like that’s kind of been my year so far, a lot of rollercoaster matches,” said the No. 13 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. “I’m really happy to get through this one. It’s been a while since I’ve had a win here in Houston.”
Paul will next take on his friend and fellow American Colton Smith, who was sitting in the top seed’s players’ box Wednesday evening. Smith, competing in just his second tour-level event, defeated Ethan Quinn 6-3, 6-4. Having advanced through qualifying, Smith has not dropped serve across four matches. The 22-year-old has saved all six break points he has faced.
A standout senior at the University of Arizona, Smith is up to No. 165 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
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