By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Defending champion Tommy Paul held off Jenson Brooksby 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-4 for his fifth straight Dallas Open victory.
Photo credit: Matthew Calvis
Tommy Paul launched his Dallas defense with decisive dazzle.
Running right, Paul flicked a fantastic forehand pass on match point sealing a 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-4 victory over compatriot Jenson Brooksby at the Dallas Open.
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It is Paul’s fifth straight win in Dallas where he defeated fellow Americans Ben Shelton and Marcos Giron in succession to capture the 2024 title.
The win was solid enough, but Paul's best shot was over the top.
Playing his first match after his Top 10-debut, Paul will play 20-year-old Fresno native Ethan Quinn in the round of 16.
Wild card Brooksby was playing for his first Tour-level win since he defeated Casper Ruud in the 2023 Australian Open second round. Two years ago, Brooksby befuddled the second-seeded Ruud in an Australian Open second-round stunner 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-2 scoring the biggest win of his career in creative style.
Brooksby underwent left wrist surgery in March 2023 and then served a suspension for violating tennis’ whereabouts rule by missing multiple doping tests.
A fiery Brooksby scored first-break blood drawing an errant forehand to lead 4-3 after 29 minutes of play.
Brooksby served for the first set at 5-4, but Paul broke at love—part of a 10-point surge—as the set escalated into the tiebreaker.
The Brooksby two-handed backhand is a true weapon and he used it to squeeze out a tight tiebreaker.
On his first set point, Brooksby sent a forehand long. An aggressive Paul erased the second set point with a heavy forehand approach.
Paul smothered a forehand into net to hand Brooksby a third set point at 7-6. When Paul’s forehand flew long, Brooksby erupted in a loud “yeah!” taking a physical one-hour opening set.
Australian Open quarterfinalist Paul used his speed around the court and some slick shotmaking to take a 2-0 second-set lead.
Brooksby responded with a three-game run but then seemed to tire a bit as Paul ran off six games in a row to snatch the second set and go up 2-0 in the decider.
Deadlocked at 4-all, Paul leaned low scooping a brilliant backhand volley for 5-4. Brooksby netted a routine forehand volley to face match point and Paul closed with the forehand flourish scoring his sixth break of the day to end it in two hours, 39 minutes.