By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, September 1, 2022
"I'm feeling very confident heading into this one," Jenson Brooksby said of his first meeting vs. third-seeded Carlos Alcaraz.
Photo credit: Darren Carroll/USTA/US Open
NEW YORK—Carlos Alcaraz continues to create a comfort zone in Flushing Meadows.
Jenson Brooksby aims to take Alcaraz on a distress detour when they meet for the first time with a trip to the US Open fourth round on the line.
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Separated by only two years the pair operate at opposite ends of the style spectrum.
The 21-year-old Brooksby is long, lanky and highly skilled at dragging opponents to obscure areas of the court.
The 19-year-old Alcaraz is explosive, athletic and has imposed his all-court acumen to win four titles this season tying Rafael Nadal for the ATP Tour lead.
Brooksby, who took a set from world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in a four-set US Open fourth-round loss last year, said he's pumped to play Alcaraz.
"It's definitely someone I have wanted to play," Brooksby said. "I'm going to bring in my best.Yeah, it's going to be a good, competitive battle out there. Yeah, it's someone I've wanted to play. I'm really excited to go out there, compete, and, you know, show what I can do."
Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios picked Alcaraz to win this US Open before the tournament began.
So far, the 19-year-old Alcaraz has played assertive tennis sweeping Argentineans Sebastian Baez and Federico Coria in straight-sets to power into the third round for the second year in a row.
Miami Open champion Alcaraz said his confidence and comfort level are growing.
"I think my level grew up a lot since Montreal," Alcaraz said. "As I said after my loss in Montreal, I [am] trying to enjoy every match, and I think thanks to that I saw my best level and my level can go up.
"I think I'm playing better and better every day. I'm really happy with that. Of course I'm trying to be better and feel more comfortable on court."
The third-seeded Alcaraz is a bigger serve than Brooksby and more skilled in the frontcourt, but Brooksby is an accurate ball striker on the run and a feisty competitor who knows how to annoy opponents.
In Brooksby's 6-4, 7-6(10), 6-1 win over Cincinnati champion Borna Coric today, his celebrations, fist-pumps and monologues all combined to unnerve the Croatian, who complained to the chair umpire about the chatter at one point.
Brooksby derives deep satisfaction provoking frustration in opponents.
"It gives you confidence to be able to try and handle those momentsbetter than the other opponents," Brooksby said. "Just things that I can focus on in my control. That's definitely a time if the opponent is frustrated, I cansee this is the time to stay focused and stay on him and tryto break him down. Whoever that is or whatever situationthat is, it's always a good thing to see."
Riding his crackling topspin forehand and an audacious drop shot, Alcaraz stunned third-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2), 0-6, 7-6(5) in a coming-of-age US Open third-round conquest last September. The Spanish teenager made history as the youngest man to defeat a Top-3 US Open seed since 1973—and the youngest man to reach the round of 16 in Flushing Meadows since a 17-year-old Michael Chang and 18-year-old Pete Sampras did it back in 1989.
The 19-year-old Alcaraz is armed with a 46-9 record and major ambition aiming to go at least one round further than his 2021 US Open quarterfinal run.
"Of course I trying not to think about thepressure, not to think about the results, and of course to the ranking, you know," Alcaraz said. "Just trying to be myself on court, trying to, as you say,show my best level. I think I am getting better every daythat I am playing here in US Open.So I just, yeah, enjoy and show my best level in the nextrounds."
In what figures to be an Arthur Ashe Stadium showdown on Saturday, Brooksby is hoping home fans—and his expanding confidence—can empower him to surprise the third-seeded Spaniard.
"Yeah, those situations in a Slam like this, it's your home crowd, for sure, for sure it will only give me the advantage, I think," Brooksby said. "I just want to be able to use that advantage as much as I can. I'm feeling very confident heading into this one."