Tommy Paul, a former champion at the Dallas Open, managed to secure a hard-fought victory over fellow American Jenson Brooksby in the opening round of the Nexo Dallas Open. The fifth seed exhibited resilience and skill, edging Brooksby with a final score of 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) after a contest lasting two hours and 25 minutes. Notably, Paul’s serving was particularly strong in the final set, where he won 21 of 23 points.
In reflecting on the match, Paul praised Brooksby’s ability to make opponents work hard: “I feel like he can put the ball all over the court and can make you move around so much. I was holding a lot easier than I normally do against Jenson, and the first set and a half was way quicker than normal.” With this victory, Paul extends his head-to-head record against Brooksby to 3-1. He will next face Miomir Kecmanovic, aiming for a place in the quarterfinals.
On the other hand, top seed Taylor Fritz had a much smoother journey into the next round, needing only 69 minutes to defeat fellow Californian Brandon Nakashima with a score of 6-3, 6-4. Fritz showcased his impressive serving, saving all three break points he faced during the match. “I think coming off the match from the other night, I got a lot of rhythm,” Fritz commented. “I felt like I could really attack more than I was able to the other night.”
Fritz’s next challenge comes in the form of Sebastian Korda, who advanced to the quarterfinals after a commanding performance against eighth seed Frances Tiafoe, winning 7-5, 6-1. Korda was particularly dominant on his first serve, dropping just four points in the entire match.
In other first-round action, American Ethan Quinn, currently ranked No. 74 in the world, managed to overcome wild card Trevor Svajda with a scoreline of 7-6(3), 7-5 after a contest lasting one hour and 47 minutes. Quinn is set to face Marin Cilic in the next round as the veteran aims for his 601st career victory on the ATP tour.
