The U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston, Texas, was one of three lead-ups to the proper opening of the clay season in Monte Carlo, set to kick off later this week. The clay season will be in full swing as Roland Garros looms not far ahead.
The two other events that wrapped up on Sunday in sync with Houston were held in Romania and Morocco; Flavio Cobolli won in Bucharest and Luciano Darderi in Marrakech. The more significant surprise of the three finals was who came out on top in the United States and who was left to watch a fellow countryman lift the trophy in front of him.
There were winners and losers in Houston, not just between the two combatants in the final match. Aside from Frances Tiafoe and Jenson Brooksby, another American involved, one expected to make it to the end, considering his ranking in the event, but fell short of the mark.
The losers from the US Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston
On Saturday, Tommy Paul, the top-ranked player in the tournament, was shown the door in three sets, one match sooner than expected. He was defeated by the eventual event winner, Brooksby, who came into Houston ranked No. 507; Paul was a top-20 ranked player.
Paul has had troubles at this tournament going back a few years, and losing to a player ranked in the 500s is nothing to brush off. Paul could have and likely should have been playing the finals against Tiafoe. Instead, Paul leaves Houston as he has, like years before: upset.
For Tiafoe, Houston was the latest shot at capturing his season's first title. He was 6-6 coming into the event, and while a finals appearance is congratulatory, he should have made it more than just an appearance.
With no disrespect to Brooksby, with Paul bounced, it was Tiafoe's tournament to win, but Brooksby won relatively easily in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2. Tiafoe's defeat adds to a season so far comprised of disappointment.
The winner
This one isn't hard; Brooksby is now a winner on tour for the first time. But it's much more significant for him, and the win carries an incredibly substantial impact considering his path leading up to this year. Up until January, Brooksby was banned for 18 months due to missed drug tests.
He hadn't played a match on tour in two years. It was a shaky start to the 2025 season, coming into Houston with a 2-4 record, but he leaves Houston in much better shape.
It's quite the comeback for Brooksby, and what elevates his win even more is beating Tiafoe, who is ranked No. 17 in the ATP rankings and one of the best American players in tennis today. Furthermore, the win will shoot Brooksby up the rankings by a large margin. He'll go from No. 507 to the 100s—what a jump; what a week in Bayou City.