by Hanlon Walsh
There’s just something about Frances Tiafoe in Houston. For the third consecutive year, one of River Oaks’ top fan favorites for the last decade has advanced to the singles final.
Tiafoe, the 2023 US Clay champion and 2024 finalist, is the fourth player to reach three consecutive US Clay finals, and the first since Andy Roddick made five in a row from 2001-2005. Tiafoe has won 10 of his last 11 matches and owns a 13-5 lifetime record on the River Oaks red clay over seven career appearances.
.jpg)
Could seven be Tiafoe’s lucky winning number this year? Standing in his way is a tall, tenacious task in Jenson Brooksby, this week’s most battle-tested player in the field. A wildcard qualifying entrant, Brooksby has won six consecutive matches and saved a total of five match points in three of them along the way to make his first ATP clay final.
The 24-year-old was once a top 35 player before undergoing multiple wrist surgeries that kept him off tour for the last two years. He is the first qualifier to reach a US Clay final since 2007 (Mariano Zabaleta) and, if he wins the title, would become the first US Clay qualifier champion in 25 years (Fernando Gonzalez).
Here’s what’s in store for Sunday’s Goliath vs. David-style championship showdown between Tiafoe and Brooksby.
Matchup Breakdown: Tiafoe may be the favorite on paper, but don’t overlook their career head-to-head. Brooksby has won each of their previous meetings, both on hard courts in Washington D.C (2021) and Atlanta (2022). Tifaoe and Brooksby will each come into Sunday’s final riding high on confidence and momentum, having won three and six consecutive matches, respectively.
Keys to Victory: Tiafoe needs to hit high percentage serves and return aggressively off Brooksby’s attackable serve. With an unconventional game and gritty mentality, Brooksby has the potential to thwart Tiafoe’s rhythm and make him uncomfortable on the court. Though Brooksby has been a sentimental favorite for Houston fans who have hopped aboard his Cinderella run this week, Tiafoe has deep Houston roots and will likely have the crowd on his side.
What’s at Stake: National pride. Either TIafoe or Brooksby will be the first American man to claim an ATP title in 2025. Tiafoe has an added personal incentive with a chance to notch his first career win over his younger American rival. Sunday's title match will be the 11th all-American US Clay final in the Open Era and third in four years.
By The Numbers: Collectively, Brooksby has spent 14 hours and 30 minutes on court in seven total matches played (six singles, one doubles). Ranked No. 507 at the beginning of the week, a win on Sunday and he is projected to rise more than 300 spots to No. 172.
Press Perspectives: Here’s what Tiafoe and Brooksby had to say about their upcoming championship matchup.
“It's nice to have a few back-to-back wins under my belt this week. Jenson is playing great right now and has won so many tight matches this week. We played twice a few years ago before he got injured and he got me in both of them, so I’m super excited to play him tomorrow. It should be a fun battle.” - Frances Tiafoe
“It feels amazing to be back in my first final in three years. I played Frances twice several years ago and was fortunate to come away with the win both times, so I feel like I’ll be able to gameplan pretty well against him. It will be special to have an all-American final here in Houston.” - Jenson Brooksby
Sunday’s singles final at the 2025 Fayez Sarofim & Co. Championship will start at 3 p.m., following the doubles final.
