Three Sets, One Survivor
Jenson Brooksby needed every one of his seven aces and a third-set surge to get past Lorenzo Sonego on Friday, closing out a 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 win to reach the Chengdu Open quarterfinals. The American dropped the opener, then broke the Italian’s serve in the eleventh game of the second set to force a decider he never really let slip away.
In that final set, Brooksby won 12 of 14 points on his first serve, the kind of number that explains how a match tilting toward Sonego turned one-sided in under an hour. He also saved four of six break points across the match, holding his nerve at the moments Sonego pushed hardest.
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Chasing a Second Title
Brooksby is still hunting his second ATP Tour trophy. His only title so far came in March 2025, and a deep run in Chengdu would be his best result since. Standing between him and the semifinals is Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili, a qualifier who came through Friday by upsetting fourth seed Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands 6-4, 7-5. Basilashvili has nothing to lose in that matchup, which tends to make him dangerous.
Elsewhere in the draw, Adrian Mannarino ended the run of defending champion and third seed Alejandro Tabilo, beating the Chilean 6-4, 6-4 while firing down ten aces of his own and saving all three break points he faced. The Frenchman moves on to face Denis Shapovalov, who dismissed Vit Kopriva of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-3 earlier in the day.
Rublev Cruises in Hangzhou
At the AITO Hangzhou Open, second seed Andrey Rublev needed just 77 minutes to see off Rinky Hijikata of Australia 6-3, 6-3, striking 12 aces without a single double fault. France’s Hugo Gaston pulled off the day’s upset, taking down seventh seed Jaime Faria of Portugal in three tight sets, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, after saving four of five break points against him.
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