Jenson Brooksby Stuns Lorenzo Sonego in Grueling Chengdu Clash; Fernandez Shocks Andreeva in Singapore
Jenson Brooksby overturned a resilient Lorenzo Sonego in a marathon second-round battle at the ATP 250 Chengdu, prevailing 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 after 2 hours and 36 minutes.
The American’s comeback sealed Sonego’s exit from the tournament, leaving Federico Cinà as Italy’s sole remaining hope. Cinà, entering as a lucky loser, dominated Camilo Ugo Carabelli and will face Alexandre Muller for a quarterfinal spot on Court 1 at 08:30 local time on Saturday, 25 September.
Sonego initially reclaimed a break deficit in the opening set and bravely survived three set points against him at 5-4 before securing the first set 7-5 by breaking Brooksby at 6-5. The second set saw Brooksby erase a break point at 2-3 and mount a crucial late comeback to take the set 7-5, resetting the contest. An early break in the decider fueled Brooksby’s momentum, allowing him to extend a 4-2 lead and close out the match comfortably, conceding only two games in the final set.
Brooksby’s reward is a quarterfinal showdown with Nikoloz Basilashvili, who dispatched Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 7-5. Meanwhile, third seed Alejandro Tabilo bowed out after a straight-sets defeat to veteran Adrian Mannarino, who won 6-4, 6-4. Canadian Denis Shapovalov also advanced confidently, overwhelming Vit Kopriva 6-2, 6-3, setting up a quarterfinal encounter with Mannarino.
Over at Hangzhou, Andrey Rublev began his campaign emphatically with a straight-sets 6-3, 6-3 victory over Rinky Hijikata. The tournament’s third seed, Tomas Martin Etcheverry, suffered an upset to Kyrian Jacquet 2-6, 3-6, while Fabian Marozsan staged a remarkable comeback against Taro Daniel.
In WTA 500 Singapore, Mirra Andreeva’s tournament came to an abrupt end as Leylah Fernandez ousted the highest-ranked player in the main draw 6-2, 7-5. Fernandez now advances to the semifinals to meet Maja Chwalinska, who dispatched Elise Mertens decisively with a 6-2, 6-2 victory.
Brooksby’s resilience and Fernandez’s clinical performance mark them as formidable contenders moving forward in their respective tournaments.