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By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday October 8, 2021

 
Jenson Brooksby

American Jenson Brooksby defeated Cam Ilkel of Turkey to set a second-round clash with Alexander Zverev at Indian Wells.

Photo Source: Getty

The whirlwind season of Jenson Brooksby – ranked 314 in February and a career-high 79 this week – continues unabated. The 20-year-old Sacramento native took down Turkey’s Cem Ilkel, 7-6(5), 6-4 to set a second-round clash with third-seeded Alexander Zverev on Sunday at the BNP Paribas Open.

Tennis Express

Brookby improves to 12-5 in his first match since squaring off with World No.1 Novak Djokovic in the round of 16 at the US Open. It was in New York that Brooksby acquitted himself well, taking a set from the 20-time major champion and endearing himself to the New York fans with his gritty, unorthodox style and competitive fire.

“It's definitely all positive things to take away,” Brooksby said after the match. “I learned my game. I'm feeling really confident in my game. I believe I can compete with anybody.”


On Friday Brooksby demonstrated that same competitive edge as he picked apart the game of the 26-year-old qualifier. Brooksby was made to work extremely hard by the talented No.179 in a contest that featured only a single break of serve.

In the end there wasn’t much between the two, but Brooksby was able to craft a gap by exploiting what little there was to take advantage of. He took the ball down the line off his backhand wing with stunning accuracy and it enabled him to get the upper hand in key rallies.

The American hardly celebrated his first Masters 1000 victory after match point – he’s a player that clearly has his eyes on bigger prizes.

Brooksby was joined by Ernesto Escobedo in the second round, as the qualifier powered past Denmark’s Holger Rune, 6-4, 6-1.

Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori (d. Koepfer), Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka (d. Delbonis), Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff (d. Galan), Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas (d. Musetti), South Africa’s Kevin Anderson (d. Thompson) and Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo (d. Kudla) were also men’s singles first-round winners on Friday at Indian Wells.

 

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