DAY 5 FAYEZ SAROFIM & CO. ATP 250 U.S. MEN'S CLAY COURT CHAMPIONSHIP

Written by Michael Thervil

JENSON BROOKSBY | FAYEZ SAROFIM & CO. ATP 250 U.S. MEN'S CLAY COURT CHAMPIONSHIP | VEDA COMMUNICATIONS LLC. | PHOTO BY MICHAEL THERVIL

Yesterday was the fifth day of the Fayez Sarofim & Co. ATP 250 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship and that consisted of 6 matches with two of them being a double. Yesterday marked the first time in a long time that the Americans dominated the tournament in the way that they did. The quarterfinals consisted of 10 Americans, 1 Argentine, 1 Mexican, 1 Brazilian, and 3 Australian players respectively. Matches started promptly at 12 noon, and the first quarter final match of the day was Jenson Brooksby vs. Aleksandar Kovacevic resulting in Jenson Brooksby being the victor.

Aleksander Kovacevic scored 12/15 (80%) net points won, 24 winners, and 45 unforced errors.  He also obtained 51/90 (57%) service points won, 36/86 (42%) return points won, and a total points won of 87/176 (49%). In contrast, Jenson Brooksby scored 11/14 (79%), 26 winners, and 27 unforced errors. Jenson Brooksby also scored 50/86 (58%) in terms of service points won, 39/90 (43%) return points won, and 89/176 (51%) when it came to total points won. Spectators really enjoyed this match so much to the point some were almost too audibly loud to be at the match.

Moving on to the second match of the day that featured Tommy Paul vs. Colton Smith which resulted in Tommy Paul winning the match. Both players played well. Tommy Paul scored 11/14 (79%) net points won, 23 winners, and 19 unforced errors. When it came to service points won, he obtained 41/51 (80%), 31/71 (44%) in terms of return points won, and 72/122 (59%) when it came to total points won. His opponent, Colton Smith, scored 4/6 (67%) in the area of net points won. Looking at the number of winners he scored, that  number turned out to be 13, and he also obtained 31 unforced errors. Colton Smith earned 40/71 (56%) service points won, 10/51 (20%) return points won, and a total of 50/122 (41%) total points won.

Because of Christopher Eubanks dynamic victory the day before, the question that was on the minds of everyone yesterday was: “can do it again?”. Yesterday the answer to that question was no, as he lost yesterday evening against fellow American Brandon Nakashima. In terms of performance on the court, Christopher Eubanks scored 5/6 (83%) net points won, 10 winners, and 30 unforced errors. His opponent Brandon Nakashima scored 5/6 (83%) net points won, 15 winners, and 17 unforced errors. Going back to Christopher Eubanks he obtained 43/65 (66%) service points won, 13/53% (25%) return points won, and 56/118 (47%) total points won. The winner of this match Brandon Nakashima had 40/53 (75%) service points won, 22/65 (34%) return points won, and 62/118 (53%) total points won.

ALEKSANDER KOVACEVIC | FAYEZ SAROFIM & CO. ATP 250 U.S. MEN'S CLAY COURT CHAMPIONSHIP | VEDA COMMUNICATIONS LLC. | PHOTO BY MICHAEL THERVIL

Moving on to the first double match of the day which featured Matthew Christopher Romios and Adam Walton vs. Fernando Romboli and John-Patrick Smith. Matthew Christopher Romios and Adam Walton vs. Fernando Romboli unfortunately lost this match but it was still one that was fun to watch according to spectators. Matthew Christopher Romios and Adam Walton vs. Fernando Romboli scored 36/55 (65%) in terms of service points won, 13/59 (22%) in return points won, and they obtained 49/114 (43%) in total points won. The winners of this match Fernando Romboli and John-Patrick Smith scored 46/59 (78%) service points won, with 19/55 (35%) return points won, and they obtained 65/114 (57%) total points won.

The next match-up was slightly delayed due to weather conditions. However, that didn’t stop Frances Tiafoe from defeating Alex Michelsen on the court. Those in attendance for this match felt as if this was the type of match they’ve been waiting for throughout the duration of the tournament. Alex Michelsen scored 4/6 (67%) net points won, with 20 winners, and 32 unforced errors. He also obtained 40/76 (53%) in terms of service points won, 18/58 (31%) for return points won, and 58/134 (43%) for total points won. The winner of the match, Frances Tiafoe, scored 9/10 (90%), with 21 winners, and 19 forced errors. When It came to service points won, he obtained 40/58 (69%), in terms of return points won he scored 36/76 (47%), and rounded off the match with 76/134 (57%) in total points won.

The last match of the night was a double that resulted in Federico Agustin Gomez and Santiago Gonzalez defeating Robert Galloway and Jackson Withrow. Like all matches that are doubles, this match was exciting to watch as both teams did a great job on the court. Robert Galloway and Jackson Withrow scored 31/50 (62%) in service points won, with 15/51 (29%) in return points won, and 46/101 (46%) in total points won. The winners of this match Federico Agustin Gomez and Santiago Gonzalez scored 36/51 (71%) in service points won, 19/50 (38%) in return points won, and with it came to total points won, Federico Agustin Gomez and Santiago Gonzalez stood at 55/101 (54%).