Brooksby saves 3 MPs to reach Houston QFs, Paul survives three-set thriller

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.

Making his mark in Houston 🙌

Jenson Brooksby is quarter-final bound after an impressive 3-6 6-4 7-6(6) victory over Tabilo. @mensclaycourt | #USClay pic.twitter.com/08kuqOnBCU

— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 2, 2025

Brooksby also saved a match point in his first-round qualifying match Saturday against Federico Agustin Gomez. Against Tabilo, the former World No. 33 in the PIF ATP Rankings held a match point on return at 6-5 but ultimately navigated a rollercoaster tie-break, converting his second match point to win his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with the Chilean.

“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.”

Tabilo, who secured an early break in the final set, will rue a loose service game when serving for the match at 5-4. In the decider, Brooksby dropped just three points behind his first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

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.

Paul earned a crucial break at 4-4 in the decider and served for the match in the ensuing game, but Garin struck back and eventually forced a tie-break. The 27-year-old Paul converted four of his 14 break chances, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and hammered 34 winners to reach the quarter-finals.

“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.