🎾 ATP Houston: Jenson Brooksby vs Aleksandar Kovacevic – Quarterfinal

🎾 ATP Houston: Jenson Brooksby vs Aleksandar Kovacevic – Quarterfinal Preview

🧠 Form & Context

Jenson Brooksby 🇺🇸
🔙 On the comeback trail: After a long injury layoff, Brooksby has returned with a 7–6 record in 2025 and an impressive 4–0 clay start.
🎾 Signature disruptor: Known for his unconventional style, Brooksby thrives on depth, tempo changes, and intelligent point construction.
💪 Houston momentum: Wins over Daniel, Tabilo, and Gomez have showcased his growing confidence and fitness.
⚔️ Head-to-head edge: Beat Kovacevic in their only prior meeting back in 2019 (Futures event).

Aleksandar Kovacevic 🇺🇸
⚡ Explosive form: 21–8 in 2025 with a current 6-match win streak. Has built momentum quickly.
🔥 Clay capable: Though a hard-court native, he’s now 2–0 on clay this season after taking out Denolly and Etcheverry.
💣 Power baseline game: Relies on a strong serve and aggressive forehand—great for short points, riskier for clay.
📈 Breakthrough week: First Houston quarterfinal after early exits in 2023 and 2024.

🔍 Match Breakdown

This is a fascinating contrast in styles:

• 🔹 Brooksby will look to frustrate and redirect. His ability to neutralize power and extend rallies plays perfectly on clay and may force Kovacevic into errors.
• 🔹 Kovacevic must serve well and strike early. If he dictates tempo and keeps the rallies short, he can punch through Brooksby's defenses—especially in the early stages.

Expect long rallies, change of pace, and tactical cat-and-mouse tennis. Brooksby will try to grind down his opponent, while Kovacevic looks to blast through him before the rallies get complicated.

🔮 Prediction

Pick: Jenson Brooksby in 3 sets

Unless Kovacevic redlines his serve and forehand across both sets, Brooksby’s clay IQ and rally tolerance make him the favorite to advance.