Brooksby Upsets Auger-Aliassime, Keys and Gauff Advance at BNP Paribas Open; Final Round Qualifying Sunday for Indian Wells ITF J300; Mary Joe Fernandez Tapped for Orange Bowl Hall of Fame

2018 Kalamazoo 18s champion Jenson Brooksby's return to competition after a drug testing suspension and injuries began with the Australian Open this year, and although he had shown glimpses of the game that saw him reach No. 33 in the ATP rankings in 2022, a win today in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open confirmed the 24-year-old Californian was truly back.

Brooksby defeated No. 17 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, who had won two ATP titles this year, 6-4, 6-2, earning his best win since the 2023 Australian Open, where he defeated ATP No. 3 Casper Ruud of Norway in the second round.

Brooksby's third round opponent will be No. 13 seed Jack Draper of Great Britain, who defeated Next Gen Finals champion Joao Fonseca of Brazil 6-4, 6-0.

Brooksby won the Easter Bowl ITF J300 title at Indian Wells the same year he won the Kalamazoo title in 2018, defeating Brandon Nakashima in both finals.  Nakashima, who was 0-4 against Brooksby in juniors and ITF men's events, also advanced to the BNP Paribas Open third round today, beating former North Carolina All-American Rinky Hijikata of Australia 7-5, 6-1.

No. 3 seed Taylor Fritz, the 2022 Indian Wells champion, won his opening match, as did No. 3 seed Coco Gauff and No. 5 seed Madison Keys, in her first match since winning the Australian Open.

Wild card Iva Jovic battled No. 6 seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy to 3-3 in the third set, before Paolini broke for a 5-3 lead and closed out her 7-6(3), 1-6, 6-3 victory. Paolini won just one more point than Jovic did in the match, 92 to 91.

The first round of qualifying for the FILA Internatonal ITF J300 in Indian Wells is complete, with two rounds scheduled for Sunday. The boys are playing at Rancho La Quinta Country Club, while the girls are playing at Palm Valley Country Club. Today's results are available at the iTF Junior website.

Mary Joe Fernandez at Men's Team Indoor

On March 26th, Mary Joe Fernandez will be inducted into the Orange Bowl Tennis Hall of Fame, with the ceremony scheduled that day at the Miami Open. Because I will be in Southern California throughout the month covering the three big junior events there, the Orange Bowl Committee was kind enough to provide me with the release a few days early, so I could post about it before I leave.

Fernandez holds one of the most impressive junior tennis accomplishments of all time, winning all four Orange Bowl titles, 12s, 14s (Junior Orange Bowl), 16s and 18s in consecutive years. 

From the release:

She captured the Girls’ 12s title at age 11, the Girls’ 14s at age 12, the Girls’ 16s at age 13, and the Girls’ 18s at just 14 years old—an unprecedented feat that remains unmatched in the history of junior tennis.

Her dominance at the Orange Bowl showcased her exceptional talent early in her career, setting the stage for her future success on the professional circuit.

"We are thrilled to welcome Mary Joe Fernandez into the Orange Bowl Tennis Hall of Fame," said Orange Bowl Committee President & Chair Henri Crockett. "Her accomplishments on the court are truly remarkable, and her impact on the sport of tennis is undeniable."

Fernandez, a former world No. 4 in both singles and doubles, enjoyed a stellar career that included:

• Grand Slam Finals: Reaching the finals of the Australian Open twice (1990 & 1992) and the French Open (1993).
• Olympic Medals: Winning gold in doubles at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics with partner Gigi Fernandez, and bronze in singles at the 1992 Olympics.
• WTA Titles: Achieving seven singles titles and seventeen doubles titles on the WTA Tour.
• Grand Slam Doubles Titles: Capturing the Australian Open (1991) and French Open (1996) doubles titles.
• Team Competitions: Helping the U.S. win the Fed Cup (1996, 1999), later serving as the U.S. Fed Cup captain (2008–2016), and captaining the U.S. Olympic tennis team in 2012 and 2016.

“Being inducted into the Orange Bowl Tennis Hall of Fame is a huge honor,” said Fernandez. “This tournament has been a springboard for so many great players, and I’m proud to be part of its rich history. I’m deeply grateful to the Orange Bowl Committee for this recognition and for their unwavering dedication to growing the game of tennis.”

Fernandez has continued to support the Orange Bowl over the years, attending the Junior Orange Bowl finals in 2016 and presenting the trophy to Coco Gauff, who won the 12s (she won the 18s two years later).

In 2020, Fernandez's son Nico Godsick won the Orange Bowl 16s doubles title in 2020 (with Ethan Quinn) to continue the family tradition. My coverage of that title and Godsick's remarks on the significance of the Orange Bowl to their family can be found here.

I recently saw Fernandez and husband Tony Godsick at the Men's Team Indoor in Dallas, watching Nico compete for Stanford in the semifinals, and Godsick could not have been more proud that his wife was receiving this recognition.

The history of junior tennis is scattered and often gets overlooked or lost, so it's always gratifying to see a special accomplishment recalled and celebrated.