Jenson Tyler "J. T." Brooksby (born October 26, 2000) is an American professional tennis player. He reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 33 on 13 June 2022.
Collegiate career
Brooksby enrolled at Baylor University to play college tennis, but turned pro after he redshirted his freshman season due to injury.
On August 12, 2018, Brooksby defeated Brandon Nakashima to win the USTA Boys' under-18 national championship. This victory earned him a wild card into the main draw of the US Open. He lost in the first round to eventual quarterfinalist John Millman.
2019: US Open second round
On August 23, 2019, Brooksby qualified for the main draw of the US Open, where he defeated Tomáš Berdych in four sets in the first round. However, in the second round, Brooksby went down in a four-set match to 17th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia.
2021: First ATP final, US Open fourth round, Top 60 debut
In 2021, Brooksby won three Challenger trophies, at Potchefstroom-2, Orlando-1, and Tallahassee. He made his debut in the top 150 by reaching a then career high of world No. 149 on June 14, 2021.
He also reached his first ATP tour final at the 2021 Hall of Fame Open in Newport, defeating Evgeny Donskoy, Denis Kudla, Peter Gojowczyk, and 7th seed Jordan Thompson. He became the second-youngest player to reach the final in the 45-year tournament history on Newport's grass courts. He lost to 8th seed Kevin Anderson in the final. This result brought Brooksby up to a new career high of No. 126 on July 19, 2021.
At the 2021 Citi Open, Brooksby upset 2nd seed and 15th ranked Félix Auger-Aliassime to earn his first top 50 (and top 20) win and advance into his first ATP 500 level quarterfinal. He beat John Millman to advance to his first ATP 500 semifinal, where he lost to 5th seed (and eventual champion) Jannik Sinner. As a result of this run, Brooksby entered the top 100 for the first time, becoming world No. 99 on August 9, 2021.
The following week at the 2021 National Bank Open, Brooksby made his debut at ATP 1000 level but lost in the first round to Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Brooksby then received a singles wildcard into the US Open. He reached the fourth round of a Major for the first time, defeating Mikael Ymer, compatriot Taylor Fritz, and 21st seed Aslan Karatsev. Brooksby, aged 20, became the youngest American to reach the US Open fourth round since a then 20-year-old Andy Roddick did so in 2002. Brooksby defeated Karatsev in the 31st five-setter of the tournament – tied with 2015 Wimbledon for most at a Grand Slam event, since 34 at the 2004 US Open. He then lost to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in four sets.
As a qualifier at the 2021 European Open, Brooksby reached the semifinals where he lost to Diego Schwartzman. As a result he reached a new career-high ranking of No. 59 on October 25, 2021.
Brooksby qualified for the 2021 Next Generation ATP Finals but did not play due to injury.