ATP Newport: Rookie Brooksby challenges veteran Anderson
In the final of the ATP Tour 250 tournament in Newport, there is a generation duel between veteran Kevin Anderson and promoted Jenson Brooksby .
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Jul 18, 2021, 12:45 pm
Kevin Anderson, who has already been a two-time finalist in Grand Slam tournaments, is doing pretty slowly again. A few days ago at Wimbledon, round two against Novak Djokovic was over, but that could basically happen to any player on the ATP tour. Industry leader Djokovic acts too confidently in the tournaments that are important to him. Anderson is now close to his first championship since 2019 when he won in Pune. In the semifinals, the 35-year-old defeated Alexander Bublik 4: 6, 7: 6 (3) and 7: 5.
The final is against local hero Jenson Brooksby, who is playing his first ever grass tournament. The 20-year-old came back from a 2: 5 deficit against Jordan Thompson in the second set of his semifinals and finally won 6: 3 and 7: 6 (3). And that at only his third event at the highest ATP level. Brooksby is currently ranked 152 in the ATP world rankings, but the #NextGen player is sixth in the Race to Milan.
Kevin Anderson is the favorite in the match. After all, it is already the 20th final on the ATP tour for the South African. His appearance in Newport also had a very pragmatic reason: Before the start of the tournament, Anderson had not yet qualified for the US Open. He has now achieved this with a successful performance at the lawn tournament at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.