by Hanlon Walsh
Top seed Tommy Paul led Friday’s all-American quarterfinal charge with a statement win to secure his first US Clay semifinal. Joining Paul in the red, white, and blue semifinal showdown will be fellow countrymen Jenson Brooksby and Brandon Nakashima, along with the winner of Friday night’s contest between Frances Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen.
Together, the four Americans will make history this weekend at River Oaks, marking only the second time in the Open Era that all four US Clay semifinalists are American. The last time this occurred was in 1988 with Andre Agassi, Jimmy Arias, Jim Courier, and Lawson Duncan.
Here’s a rundown from each of Friday’s quarterfinal results.
Paul Rounds Into Clay Season Form
Experience and clay court pedigree prevailed for the 27-year-old Paul, whose River Oaks roots trace back nine years to his first ever ATP match win. The top seed recorded a 6-1, 7-6(1) victory over Colton Smith, a 22-year-old Arizona senior who scored his first ATP clay win himself earlier this week.
Paul fought through the windy conditions and played a near flawless second set tiebreaker, hitting four winners and one ace to close out Smith in straight sets. Next up, he will face a familiar American opponent in the semifinals, Brooksby, who he’s 3-0 against on hard courts.
Saturday will mark their first ATP match on clay, a surface that has plagued American tennis players for decades and one which Paul admits he has a polarizing relationship with.
“Well, I mean, my clay career has been a bit of a roller coaster. I used to love it and then I hated it. Now I’m starting to love it again and feel more comfortable. I felt like my movement was way better today than it has been. I also knew it was Colton’s first clay event in a really long time, so my game plan was to make him feel uncomfortable by taking the ball early and changing the direction a lot.” - Tommy Paul
Brooksby’s Qualifier Quest Lives On
In Friday’s opening quarterfinal match, 24-year-old Brooksby continued his Houston winning ways by notching his fifth consecutive win of the week. A wildcard qualifying entrant, Brooksby out steadied 26-year-old Aleksandar Kovacevic 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 and sealed the victory with a crisp touch volley on his third match point.
Brooksby has saved four match points throughout the week to advance to his eighth career semifinal, and notably his first on clay. He is the first qualifier to earn a US Clay semifinal spot since Yannick Hanfmann in 2023. After undergoing multiple wrist surgeries in 2023 and being sidelined from tour for nearly three seasons, Brooksby will re-enter the top 300 or better with his semifinal result.
But for now, he’s more focused on stepping stones than ranking points.
“I don’t necessarily have numbers in mind, but I think it’s just more week-to-week expectations of what I want to accomplish based on how I’m feeling. But I think as I keep climbing back up, I’ll start to set more specific ranking goals. For now, I don’t need to put any extra pressure on myself in that sense. I’m happy that I’ll jump up quite a bit from my results in Houston regardless of how the rest of the weekend plays out.” - Jenson Brooksby
Nakashima Serves Into The Semis
Brandon Nakashima may not be considered a traditional “serve-bot” among the likes of former US Clay champions John Isner and Reilly Opelka, but he’s making quite the case to be River Oaks’ own clay serve-bot this year. In both matches this week, the 23-year-old Southern Californian fired seven aces apiece, dispatching both of his American foes in straight set contests
On Friday, he defeated Christopher Eubanks 6-4, 6-4, breaking the 6-foot-7 Eubanks’ serve twice to seal the deal in convincing fashion. With the win, Nakashima advances to his first US Clay semifinal and is projected to reach a career-high ranking of No. 31.
“Both guys I’ve played this week, Mackie and Chris, have very different game styles. I think today, it was important to get the first serve in and to take advantage of return opportunities on his serve. I felt like I did a pretty good job of that, even though it was very tricky conditions out there. Really happy to get the win and a new career-high ranking.” - Brandon Nakashima
Saturday's lineup will feature two singles semifinal matches and the doubles final, weather permitting.
