Sacramento native Jenson Brooksby cruises in Round 1 of U.S. Open
Jenson Brooksby, the No. 43-ranked player on the ATP Tour and Sacramento native, made quick work in his first-round victory over Serbian Dusan Lajovic on Tuesday at the U.S. Open in Flushing, New York.
Brooksby won (6-2, 6-0, 3-0) in dominating fashion while Lajovic, ranked No. 88, struggled with unforced errors and took a medical break to get examined by trainers between the second and third set, then retired after dropping three straight games in the third set.
Brooksby moved on to a second round match on Thursday. The 21-year-old was named the tour’s Newcomer of the Year last season, becoming the third American to win the award since 2000, joining Taylor Fritz in 2016 and Andy Roddick, who won it in 2001.
Brooksby is looking to lift his ATP ranking after being as high as No. 33 in June. He hopes to become the first American men’s player to win a Grand Slam since Roddick when he won the 2003 U.S. Open. Brooksby last year advanced to the Round of 16, where he lost to top-seeded Novak Djokovic at center court in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Brooksby, in an interview with The Bee last summer, said he wasn’t overwhelmed with scenario given his opponent, the stage and stakes.
“Because of how I trained and how our culture is, and our mindset in general, I think I was able to focus on that match and try to win that match like any other,” Brooksby said. ““But at the same time, but I appreciated having the opportunity to be able to test my body and my skills and everything in such a place like that. I did really appreciate that. You can learn a lot from all these different stages and have different experiences.”
Brooksby trains at JGM Tennis Academy in the Arden Arcade and is coached by Joe Gilbert, who has worked with him since he was 7 years old. Brooksby is 6-foot-4, with a long build and unique playing style. Those dubious about his chances at becoming one of the world’s elite players point to his lack of a powerful first serve.
But Gilbert has helped Brooksby embrace his unorthodox style, which leans more toward defending and having a number of different shots in his bag.
“If he would have played the same style as the Americans coming out, he wouldn’t be as successful as he is,” Gilbert told The Bee last year. “He wasn’t big enough, he wasn’t strong enough, he wasn’t physical enough, with the big serve and big forehand and hitting really hard and playing really fast.
“Those weren’t his qualities when he was younger. And so if I would have asked him to that, that would have stunted his growth, hurt his confidence, and I don’t think we’d be where we are today.”
Brooksby is looking for his first win on the ATP Tour. Earlier this season he advanced to the finals of the Dallas Open in February where he fell to fellow American Reilly Opelka. It came shortly after he withdrew from the Australian Open after testing positive for COVID-19, prevented him from making the long flight a week beforehand.
This story was originally published August 30, 2022 at 2:59 PM.
