Ricky’s tennis preview for the Atlanta Open final: De Minaur vs. Brooksby

By Ricky Dimon

After Alex de Minaur won the Atlanta Open in 2019, the 2020 event was cancelled because of Covid-19 and he was unable to play in 2021 because it conflicted with the Olympics.

De Minaur is making up for lost time by battling his way back into another final and giving himself a chance for a second title in the span of two trips to Atlanta. The Australian has advanced with victories over James Duckworth (6-4, 6-4), Adrian Mannarino (4-6, 6-3, 6-0), and Ilya Ivashka (5-7, 6-2, 6-2).

“I’m stoked to come out with a win,” De Minaur said following his semifinal success. “I feel like I’m doing a great job mentally in these matches, just finding ways. I’m very happy about that. The way the matches have gone this year they haven’t looked too good for me many times during the week. Again we live to fight another day.”

The final day in Atlanta will pit De Minaur against Brooksby for the first time in their careers. Whereas De Minaur had some momentum coming into this week following a fourth-round performance at Wimbledon, Brooksby had been struggling earlier in the summer. However, the 43rd-ranked American appears to be turning it all around with defeats of Benoit Paire, Mackenzie McDonald, John Isner, and Frances Tiafoe.

“It really means a lot to me [to make another final] in the states,” Brooksby commented. “Wherever I’ve been so far in the states the crowds have been supportive of me–and also the Americans in general. It’s just another extra energy boost for me tomorrow. I’m going to treat the preparation and how I need to focus the same as any other match, but I’ll also reflect a little bit on the last few (final appearances). I’ve had a couple experiences with it now and that will only help me for tomorrow.”

The 21-year-old was referencing his two previous ATP finals, both of which he lost (to Kevin Anderson last summer in Newport and to Reilly Opelka earlier this year in Dallas). But that doesn’t mean he will be an easy out for De Minaur.

“(He’s a) tough and talented competitor,” the world No. 30 said of Brooksby. “It’s going to be a battle. The only thing I can ask of myself is try to recover as best as I can and be ready for however long it takes tomorrow.”

This marks De Minaur’s 10th ATP championship match and he is bidding for his sixth title. That kind of experience–including in Atlanta–could be key in what should be an entertaining and competitive contest between two gritty baseliners who both displayed an awesome level in the semifinals on Saturday. With a two-year hiatus in between, look for De Minaur to go “back-to-back” in Atlanta.

Pick: De Minaur in 3

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on twitter at @Dimonator.