Sacramento’s Jenson Brooksby survives dramatic tiebreak, wins in straight sets in US Open
Jenson Brooksby was unrelenting at the Grandstand of the National Tennis Center on Thursday. He wouldn’t let his opponent get back into the match to the point where a racket was broken long before it was over.
The 21-year-old Sacramento native almost saw the second set of Thursday’s U.S. Open tilt go to Borna Coric, surviving seven set points, and winning his first and only set point in the tiebreaker to take a two-set lead. From that point, Brooksby cruised through the third to advance to a third-round match Saturday. The score: 6-4, 7-6 (12-10), 6-1.
Brooksby will face third-seeded Carlos Alcaraz in the third round with a chance to become one of the final 16 players remaining in the tournament. He made it to the fourth round last year.
Coric, who was visibly frustrated throughout the match, slammed his racket twice early in the third set, then giving the mangled plastic to a young fan in the front row. It came after losing a 12-minute game.
His reasons for his frustration were understandable. The score was lopsided, though the first two sets were anything but. Those seven set points in the tiebreaker, which Brooksby escaped from, swung the match. Coric complained to the umpire midway through the first set about Brooksby being vocal following points.
Coric would make good shot after good shot and Brooksby would use his length and guile to keep points going. Coric had the advantage in winners (41-30) and aces (9-6), but Brooksby won on unforced errors (67-34).
The opening two sets over two hours, thanks to a series of long rallies, deep games and the 22-point tiebreak. It was a three-hour, six-minute win for Brooksby in straight sets. Even the third set took almost an hour despite Brooksby winning in seven games.
Coric, a 25-year-old from Croatia, entered the match as the 29th-ranked player in the world, making it an upset victory for No. 43 Brooksby.
Marc Lucero, doing commentary of the match for ESPN+, talked about Brooksby’s ability to change speed, spin and become one of the best returners on the ATP Tour.
“(He’s) a really good player. People get caught up in how it looks,” Lucero said.
Brooksby, coached by Joe Gilbert at the JGM Tennis Academy in the Arden Arcade, has been known for his unorthodox style. He doesn’t possess a powerful serve or forehand typical of American stars of the past. Instead, he’s one of the game’s best defensive players, and his competitiveness makes him difficult to put away.
ESPN analyst Brad Gilbert (of no relation to Joe) told The Bee last year he believed Brooksby has a chance to be among the ATP Tour’s elite.
“He can go big time,” Gilbert told The Bee for a feature. “He can go top five for sure. And maybe even higher. I think he has great potential.”
Brooksby was named the ATP’s Newcomer of the Year in 2021. He ascended from outside the top 300 in the FedEx ATP Rankings to No. 56 in the world at the end of the year. He’s the third American to win the award since 2000, joining Taylor Fritz in 2016 and former U.S. Open champion, Andy Roddick, who won it in 2001.
Coric on Thursday appeared to get himself back in the match after dropping the first set. He jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second, before Brooksby broke his serve and evened the set at four games apiece, before it eventually got to 6-6 leading to the tiebreaker. There was a rally at that point that epitomized the match, with Brooksby surviving three hard shots, including two when he was at the net, leading to an unforced error.
This is Brooksby’s fourth trip to the U.S. Open. The furthest he advanced was to the fourth round in 2021.
This story was originally published September 1, 2022 at 12:05 PM.
