Houston :
Defending champion Jenson Brooksby suffered an early exit at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship, losing 6-4, 6-2 to fellow American Mackenzie McDonald in the opening round in Houston on Monday.
Eighth seed Brooksby struggled on serve, winning just 37.4% of his second-serve points, while McDonald capitalised by claiming 68.4% on his opponent’s second delivery.
The tournament has seen strong home success in recent years, with Brooksby following past American champions Ben Shelton (2024), Frances Tiafoe (2023) and Reilly Opelka (2022).
Elsewhere, Thiago Agustín Tirante cruised past American Colton Smith 6-0, 6-3, while qualifier Alex Bolt, Adolfo Daniel Vallejo and Zhizhen Zhang also advanced with straight-set victories.
Hanfmann progresses in Marrakech
At the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech, eighth seed Yannick Hanfmann edged Jesper de Jong 7-6(6), 6-4 in a tightly contested first-round match.
After an even opening set with no breaks of serve, Hanfmann secured the decisive break in the second set and went on to win an impressive 90.7% of his first-serve points.
Home players also impressed, with wild cards Taha Baadi and Karim Bennani both advancing. Baadi defeated Aleksandar Vukic 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, while Bennani overcame Quentin Halys 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-2.
