ATP Tour

Brooksby 'adapts' & overcomes Baez in Chengdu debut

Jenson Brooksby found a way to turn physical demands to his advantage on Wednesday, when he trimmed Sebastian Baez’s lead in their rivalry at the Chengdu Open.

Playing at the Chinese ATP 250 for the first time, Brooksby handled the humidity better than in previous encounters with the Argentine to earn a 7-5, 7-5 first-round victory. Baez had beaten Brooksby in Auckland and Rome earlier this year, but the 25-year-old American has now cut the deficit to 1-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“The previous two times he beat me, but I think we had a really good strategy,” Brooksby, the No. 77 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, said. “Most importantly, I think I adapted to the humidity better than usual. Seb is a very physical player and that’s not always the easiest for me, but I think I really prepared for that well.”

Brooksby has now won seven of his past nine opening-round matches, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, and will next meet Lorenzo Sonego or James Duckworth in his debut quest in Chengdu.

“I feel great,” Brooksby added in his on-court interview. “It’s my first time here. I’ve loved playing in front of you guys. It feels great to get a win in my first time here. Thanks to every one of you that came out — the crowd was pretty good today.”

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In other action in Chengdu, Vit Kopriva maintained his perfect record against players outside the Top 100 this season, improving to 9-0 with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over 17-year-old Chinese wild card Hu Jia. Kopriva, the World No. 71, will next face seventh seed Denis Shapovalov or Tallon Griekspoor.

Watch Extended Highlights from Wednesday in Chengdu: