Paul Grinds Out Dallas Opener Against Brooksby
Under the Texas arena lights, Tommy Paul turned a grueling duel with countryman Jenson Brooksby into a third-set survival, his forehand winners and iron serve carrying him through to the second round of the Nexo Dallas Open.
In the charged air of the Nexo Dallas Open, Tommy Paul stared down a resilient Jenson Brooksby in their first-round clash at this ATP 500 event. The fifth seed, back to defend his title on familiar hardcourts, absorbed an early setback before clawing back for a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) victory that stretched two hours and 25 minutes. Paul’s 18 forehand winners cut through the night, while his first serve proved unbreakable in the decider, claiming 21 of 23 points to edge out the 2022 finalist.
Brooksby probed with crosscourt backhands and underspin slices that pulled Paul wide, forcing low retrieves on the indoor surface. Paul countered by tightening his returns, redirecting pace into inside-in forehands that disrupted his opponent’s rhythm. The crowd’s murmurs built with each hold, sensing the shift as the American led their head-to-head to 3-1.
“I feel like he can put the ball all over the court and can make you move around so much,” Paul said. “I like to feel that I move well, so I make it tough for him to end points. I was holding a lot easier than I normally do against Jenson and the first set and a half was way quicker than normal, so it was a little bit different. I was happy to get through it.”
Third set demands mental steel
The decider turned into a baseline grind, with Brooksby‘s retrieval game testing Paul’s footwork after their recent Davis Cup encounter in Hungary. Paul adjusted his one–two pattern, following deep serves with heavy topspin forehands to push Brooksby back and force errors in extended rallies. As the tie-break loomed, the 28-year-old’s movement kept him planted, converting pressure points with down-the-line precision that silenced the arena’s tension.
Fresh from a fourth-round run at the Australian Open last month, Paul carried momentum into this opener, balancing international duties with the hard-court swing. The surface’s speed favored his aggressive returns, muting some of Brooksby’s drop shots and allowing lateral coverage that turned defense into offense. This win, hard-earned on home soil, sets up a tactical puzzle against Miomir Kecmanovic, whose flat strokes will demand similar vigilance.
Venue legacy sharpens the edge
Paul’s history here adds weight—he claimed the trophy in 2024 as an ATP 250, then reached the semifinals last season amid the upgrade. That familiarity amplified the stakes Wednesday, transforming the court into a stage where past glories met current fatigue from Melbourne’s marathons. Brooksby mirrored the movement but faltered on serve in the clutch, his passing shots sailing long under the mounting pressure.
Off-court, Paul’s Davis Cup victory over Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan earlier this weekend lingered as a spark, underscoring the blend of team pride and individual grind. With the calendar tight, this survival buys recovery time, a chance to reset before Kecmanovic’s baseline steadiness challenges his patterns anew. The Dallas crowd fed off it, their cheers echoing the champion’s unyielding resolve.
Quinn surges with serve dominance
Elsewhere, Ethan Quinn rode a wave of confidence to defeat wild card Trevor Svajda 7-6(3), 7-5, rallying from a break down in the opener after one hour and 47 minutes. The No. 74 in the PIF ATP Rankings, coming off a third-round showing at the Australian Open and that clay thriller against Marozsan in the Davis Cup Qualifiers, won 87 percent of his first-serve points—41 of 47, per ATP Stats. His varied deliveries, mixing slice wide with kick serves that gripped the hardcourt, overwhelmed Svajda’s returns.
Quinn’s all-court flair suits this venue, turning potential deficits into holds through controlled aggression. Next, he faces Marin Cilic, the veteran who notched his 600th tour-level win Tuesday, in a matchup that will hinge on sustaining that serve under fire. As both Paul and Quinn advance, American grit pulses through the draw, promising more home-soil battles laced with tactical depth and rising stakes.
