Jenson Brooksby made his return to the Asian swing in Tokyo last week after a two-year absence and wasted no time proving he can thrive in the conditions. He scored notable wins over Ugo Humbert, Luciano Darderi, and Holger Rune before bowing out to Taylor Fritz in the semifinals.
That makes it two semifinal runs in as many appearances at the Asian swing for the American, who first debuted in this stretch back in 2022 with a semifinal showing in Seoul. It will be interesting to see if he can extend this strong record when he takes the court at the Shanghai Masters in the coming days.
Brooksby was unranked at the start of the year when he returned from nearly two years away from the tour, but his rapid progress since then has been remarkable. He now stands just one strong result away from breaking back into the top 50, which would mark a highly rewarding and productive season given the circumstances.
For a typical Japanese-born player, a breakthrough opportunity during the Asian swing would be a huge moment. However, James Trotter might feel more confident about his chances in the United States rather than in Asia. Most of his success has come through college tennis and professional events in North America, while he has comparatively little experience competing in this region.
In fact, his only previous main-draw appearance on the ATP Tour also came in the United States, earlier this year in Delray Beach, where he put in a respectable effort before losing 6-7, 1-6 to Brandon Nakashima in the opening round. That said, his start to the Shanghai Masters campaign has been very encouraging, as he battled past Tristan Boyer and Rinky Hijikata in three-set matches to secure a place in the main draw.
Head-to-head: 0-0. James Trotter is a hit-or-miss type of player who, on his good days, can be very difficult to deal with. However, if Jenson Brooksby has recovered well from his long campaign in Tokyo and comes in fresh, his depth and consistency should give him the edge in this matchup.
