Five Americans qualify in Paris; Brooksby saves match points

The 2021 French Open qualifying tournament ended in dramatic fashion for American Jenson Brooksby—and with it, an upcoming main-draw debut.

In a marathon three hours and 22 minutes, Brooksby rallied from 7-6(5), 5-4, 40-0 down against Frenchman Evan Furness on Friday to secure a 6-7(5), 7-6(2), 6-4 in the final qualifying round—in the longest match played in either qualifying draw. The 20-year-old extended his winning streak to 13 matches with his efforts in Paris, following up two victories on the USTA Pro Circuit last month, and earns his second career Grand Slam berth.

Brooksby's victory made him one of five Americans to advance to the main draw in all, the most U.S. qualifiers in Paris since 2004. 

Joining him as a winner on Friday were Mackenzie McDonald and Hailey Baptiste, who advanced in their third-round victories in contrasting fashion. McDonald did not lose a set in three rounds, and did not lose more than four games in any of his six sets played. That included a 6-4, 6-4 win over in-form Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first qualifying round, and an identical scoreline against Argentine Marco Trungelliti to qualify.

Baptiste will make her French Open main-draw debut thanks to a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over Austria's Julia Grabher, where she came from 6-3, 4-1 down to reach a Grand Slam main draw for the second time in her young career. The 19-year-old world No. 202 had previously ended the hot streak of compatriot Claire Liu, a winner of two titles on the USTA Pro Circuit's green clay this spring, in the second qualifying round, 6-3, 6-3. 

On Thursday, Bjorn Fratangelo (pictured above, earlier this year) and Varvara Lepchenko booked their spots in the main draw with straight-sets victories. Fratangelo, winner of the boys' singles title at the 2011 French Open, will be competing in his third main draw in Paris, and first since 2017. Former Top 20 player Lepchenko has featured in the main draw in Paris every year dating back to 2009. 

American Qualifier Placements at the 2021 French Open 

Hailey Baptiste vs. Anna Blinkova (RUS)

Varvara Lepchenko vs. Zhang Shuai (CHN)

Jenson Brooksby vs. (24) Aslan Karatsev (RUS)

Bjorn Fratangelo vs. Cameron Norrie (GBR)

Mackenzie McDonald vs. Emil Ruusuvuori (FIN)