ATP 250 Houston: Denolly Out, Paul Survives, Brooksby Surprises Tabilo

The round of 16 began at the ATP 250 tournament in Houston. On the American clay courts, one of the two remaining French players aimed to build on his first ATP tour victory in the previous round against Brandon Holt (7-6, 7-6). Corentin Denolly faced Aleksandar Kovacevic this time, a finalist at this year’s Montpellier tournament.

However, the challenge proved too great for the world No. 328, who failed to convert the two break points he earned, ultimately falling in straight sets (6-3, 6-3).

After notably defeating his compatriot Adrian Mannarino in the final round of qualifying, Denolly will break into the top 270 next Monday, reaching a new career-high ranking—surpassing his previous best of No. 289 in 2019.

In the quarterfinals, Kovacevic will face his compatriot Jenson Brooksby. The American delivered a strong performance to eliminate third seed Alejandro Tabilo (3-6, 6-4, 7-6) after saving three match points. The Chilean continues to struggle this season, particularly on clay, where he has yet to secure a single win this year.

Top seed Tommy Paul nearly suffered an early exit in his opening match. The world No. 13, facing Cristian Garin, took a set to find his rhythm.

But in the end, Paul did not let the opportunity slip away, despite failing to close out the match while serving at 5-4 in the third set (2-6, 6-2, 7-6). In the quarterfinals, he will take on Colton Smith, who defeated Ethan Quinn (6-3, 6-4).