A tight match?

The two meetings between the two men in 2025 were knife-edge battles! Were they circumstantial, or is there a pretty good chance it will happen again here?

I’d like to look at Brooksby’s form at those times, because his level varies quite a bit depending on that, and the American isn’t exactly showing a pretty face at the start of this year. And I see that when he beat Paul in Houston, it was in heavy heat, while Paul missed a bit more than usual and the match was a bit particular with quite a few delays because of the weather. Putting that loss for Paul in Houston back into context, I come back to my first impression of Tommy Paul being overall stronger than Brooksby. But there’s a but. Their match in Dallas last year, also in the first round, was almost a 50/50 too. Why? Mainly because Paul was playing badly. So one question remains: does he not like playing “Brooks”, or were those just two one-off matches? We know Brooksby’s game. Short slices, slightly odd forays to the net, sewer-rat defense… If he’s physically ready, I think he’ll bother Tommy. But Tommy knows all that. He knows he has to stick to the aggressive pattern and finish points cleanly right to the end. He comes in with better form, and even a Davis Cup match won in Hungary. Trip on February 8, back to Dallas, to play his first-round match today and get used to the conditions. Conclusion?