Top-seeded Tommy Paul lost to unseeded Jenson Brooksby in one of the two all-American semifinals matches of the US Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston on Saturday night.
Brooksby, who is ranked 507th in the world but was as high as 33rd in 2022, prevailed 7-6 (5), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in a match that lasted two hours and 48 minutes.
In Sunday’s final, Brooksby will take on second-seeded Frances Tiafoe, who defeated Brandon Nakashima, the fourth seed, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
Brooksby, who has never won on the ATP Tour, led 4-1 in the third set, but Paul roared back to tie it at 4-4. Each player held serve, then each lost their serve to set up the tiebreaker.
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Both players lost their serve three times in the tiebreaker as well.
Paul was at match point before Brooksby won his serve for a 6-6 tie.
Brooksby held serve to set up his own match point, then stopped Paul on serve to win the match.
Paul had six aces to none for Brooksby, but he also had five double-faults to two for the challenger. Tiafoe, who is looking for his fourth ATP Tour win, had less trouble in his tiebreaker to clinch the match.
He jumped to a 4-1 lead and eventually closed it out on his first match point. Grand Prix Hassan II Top-seeded Tallon Griekspoor racked up 10 aces while posting a 7-5, 7-6 (3) victory over Polish wild card Kamil Majchrzak to reach the championship match in Marrakech, Morocco.
Griekspoor, from the Netherlands, saved 4 of 5 break points and hit 27 winners during the semifinal match. Majchrzak had 23 winners and five aces.
Griekspoor will be looking for his third career title when he faces seventh-seeded Luciano Darderi on Sunday.
Darderi had a 22-5 edge in winners while rolling to a 6-3, 6-2 win over fifth-seeded Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain.
He will be seeking his second career title. Tiriac Open Top-seeded Sebastian Baez saved all six break points while sailing to a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics in the semifinals at Bucharest, Romania.
The Argentine native hit only nine winners and overcame 24 unforced errors to subdue Fucsovics.
He will be seeking his eighth career title.
Fucsovics also struggled with 15 winners and 37 unforced errors.
Baez will be playing third-seeded Italian Flavio Cobolli, who cruised to a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Cobolli, who had 20 aces, will be searching for his first career title.
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