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Jenson Brooksby finishes runner-up at Atlanta Open
Americans accounted for five of the eight Atlanta Open quarterfinalists in week two of the US Open Series, and Jenson Brooksby was the last one standing.
The 21-year-old Californian, seeded No. 6, finished as runner-up at the ATP 250 event to third-seeded Alex de Minaur of Australia on Sunday, 6-3, 6-3.
Brooksby was again bidding for his first ATP singles title in his third career final and second this year. He was previously the runner-up to Reilly Opelka in Dallas in February.
With the loss of just one set, Brooksby defeated Benoit Paire, Mackenzie McDonald, John Isner and Frances Tiafoe to reach the championship match. He dehtroned six-time (and defending) champion Isner with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win in the quarterfinals, improving to 5-0 in ATP quarterfinals in his young career so far in the process.
Last summer, Brooksby also thrived during the US Open Series: Ranked No. 152, he reached the final of the Infosys Hall of Fame Open in Newport, R.I. He was the second-youngest player to reach the final in the tournament’s 45-year history.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images.
Related: The superpower of California's Jenson Brooksby
De Minaur said he expected a "very tactical, chess-like match" from the fast-rising American in Atlanta, and his assessment proved correct: He needed all his guile over 91 minutes to quell Brooksby's resistance, particularly in the second set. After dropping serve at the start, Brooksby won three of the next four games, but de Minaur won the last four himself to seal the win.
“I was disappointed with my performance out there today, but you’ve got to be able to think long-term and just try to see how consistently I can reproduce my focus and those results," Brooksby told the ATP in defeat. "I just need to learn from that one and keep staying in the present.”
After peaking at a career-high ranking of No. 33 in June, Brooksby had lost eight of his last 11 matches prior to Wimbledon, where he reached the third round. After four wins in Atlanta, he'll rise back to No. 37 in the ATP rankings—with two ATP Masters 1000 events left to play this summer as he eyes a Top 32 seed for the US Open.
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