It wasn’t easy, but Tommy Paul, a former champion from Dallas, eventually managed to get past his American compatriot Jenson Brooksby, a former finalist, to reach the second round of the Nexo Dallas Open.
I felt like I could really attack more than I could [the other night]. I felt like I hit the ball great Taylor Fritz
It took the fifth seed two hours and 25 minutes to battle his way through to secure his 4-6 6-4 7-6(4) victory at the ATP 500 event and he was particularly impressive with his serve in the decider, where he won 21 of 23 points.
“I feel like he can put the ball all over the field and make you move so much,” Paul said of Brroksby. “I like to feel like I’m moving well, so I make it difficult for him to score points. I held on a lot easier than normal against Jenson and the first set and a half was a lot faster than normal, so it was a bit different. I was happy to get through it.”
The 28-year-old, who now leads Brooksby 3-1, will next face Miomir Kecmanovic for a place in the last eight.
In contrast, top seed Taylor Fritz needed 69 minutes to advance to the quarter-finals with a 6-3 6-4 victory over compatriot Brandon Nakashima, dominating the match with his serve and saving three break points.
“I think after last night’s game I got into a lot of rhythm,” Fritz said. “I felt like the ball came up a bit more, I had a bit more time, I felt like I could really attack more than I could. [the other night]. I felt like I hit the ball great.”
(Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
In the last eight, Fritz faces another American Sebastian Korda who ousted compatriot and eighth seed Frances Tiafoe 7-5 6-1 to leave just four points behind on his first serve in the 68-minute encounter.
American Ethan Quinn, world number 74, defeated wild card Trevor Svajda over an hour and 47 minutes, 7-6(3) 7-5 to reach the second round rally after a break in the first set.
Quinn will play in the second round against veteran Marin Cilic, who is going for his 601st victory on the ATP tour.
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