Tennis player Brandon Holt hoping to follow in the footsteps of his famous mother
NEWPORT — The son of tennis royalty is trying to carve out his own name in the game.
Brandon Holt, whose mother is 1992 International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Tracy Austin, won a qualifying match for the Infosys Hall of Fame Open over the weekend before falling short of the main draw with a loss on Monday.
The 24-year-old is coming off a hand injury that kept him out of action for eight months, but he’s slowly learning what it takes to compete at the highest level.
“You need a hunger, or a love for playing tennis — or both, probably,” said Holt, who is ranked No. 332 in the world. “It doesn’t feel like I have to sacrifice too much, because I am playing tennis as a job. But I’m very happy to be playing here and everyone has some reason why they’re here.”
Tracy Austin was the youngest person to win the US Open in 1979
Austin was a world No. 1 who recorded 335 match victories and 30 career titles. In 1979, she became the youngest person at 16 years, 9 months to win the US Open when she defeated Chris Evert in straight sets. Two years later, she won the tournament again.
This marked Holt’s second trip to the Hall of Fame after watching Lindsay Davenport get inducted in 2014. Over the weekend, he walked through the museum with his father — Tracy will be arriving on Tuesday, he said — and came across a dress his mother wore during a match when she was a teenager.
“It was cool to see — her dress is so small,” said Holt, who strikes a resemblance to his mother. “We went up there and checked it out and walked through the whole place. I hadn’t done that year in years.”
Holt was born in 1998, four years after Austin retired from professional tennis and six years after she took her place among the team’s greats in Newport. He said he was never pushed into tennis, but gravitated toward it naturally.
“I have one older brother and one younger brother, and we all played all the sports,” he said. “I played baseball, and that was the last sport I quit other than tennis. But I played everything — soccer, basketball, baseball, tennis.”
Holt said he didn’t take tennis very seriously until he reached high school and ended up playing for the University of Southern California. When his collegiate career ended in the spring of 2020, he turned professional at the height of the COVID pandemic.
Then he injured his hand, so he’s really just starting his pro career.
“I’m slated for a very busy hard-court swing right now,” said Holt, who on Monday dropped a 6-1, 6-3 decision to Britain's Liam Broady. “Honestly, I’m just happy to be healthy.”
Holt says he feels no pressure despite being the son of a Hall of Famer.
“I don’t know anything different,” he said. “I’ve grown up with that my whole entire life. I don’t know what it would be like to not have that, so I don’t feel that much pressure. Maybe people think that I should, but I don’t.”
Peter Gojowczyk first to make cut
As play in the main draw kicked off on Monday, German veteran Peter Gojowczyk was the first to punch his ticket into the round of 16 with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Ugo Humbert on Stadium Court.
Gojowczyk is making his third appearance in Newport and has experienced success, reaching the semifinals here in 2017 and advancing to the quarterfinals a year ago. Not only is the 32-year-old enjoying himself on the court, but away from it.
“I feel comfort here. I like it here. The city is beautiful,” he said. “You can walk down to the harbor. It’s good for us players, too, to have short distance. It’s nice.”
So what does Gojowczyk prefer to eat when he’s in a seaside town?
“A lobster roll,” he said. “There are so many good restaurants down in the harbor. You can choose whatever you want.”
A fan of Newport
American Steve Johnson turned pro in 2012 and has only missed this event twice in his career, which includes one of his four career titles in 2018. Why does he keep coming back? Because it's unlike a lot of the tournaments on the ATP Tour.
"I feel like I've seen a lot of Newport, and I enjoy it. That's why I come here," said Johnson, who attended the Newport Gulls game Monday night after his straight-sets win over Stefan Kozlov. "It's the week after a Slam. The stress and anxiety are always heightened at a Slam. You come here and it's a low-pace event.
"I can walk to the courts. I can walk to dinner. I'm not going to get into a car for a week, which is great. It's just an interesting dynamic and I've always loved coming here. When it works out and you're healthy, it's a venue that I think I can do well, so that's why I come back."
Eyes on Jason Kubler
One player to keep your eyes on this week is Jason Kubler. While his current world ranking of No. 102 will hardly make you turn your head, the Aussie made a run to the round of 16 at Wimbledon after making his way through qualifying.
“I was definitely playing well,” he said. “Mentally, it was the biggest stride I’ve made in the past few months, just in terms of consistency on court and how I’m handling my emotions. … It was sort of just riding the wave. I was playing a certain way, and then I just kept grabbing the opportunity.”
In the first round on Monday, he kept the momentum going with a 6-2, 6-3 decision over countryman Jordan Thompson. Kubler, 29, has never won an ATP-level tournament. If he wants to be holding the Van Alen Cup on Sunday, he’ll have to beat ninth-ranked and top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada in the next round.
“In all my matches, I’m playing to get those opportunities,” he said. “If I can play well in the big moments of the match, I’ll do that. If I get an opportunity, I’m going to try to grab it with both hands.”
Querry-Murray match all the talk
Looking ahead to Tuesday, the buzz will be around the first-round match between American Sam Querrey and three-time Grand Slam singles champion Andy Murray.
Murray, 35, is making his first appearance in Newport since 2006, when he was 19 and two years into his professional career. Since then, the sure-fire Hall of Famer has held the world’s No. 1 ranking, won Wimbledon twice, the US Open once and collected a pair of Olympic gold medals.
His current world ranking is No. 52, and he’s seeded No. 6 in the 28-player field.
Querrey is hardly a stranger to Newport, making his eighth appearance. His best showing was in 2009, when he lost in the final to countryman Rajeev Ram. The 34-year-old Californian is ranked No. 252 in the world.
Tuesday’s match will be the second between Murray and Querrey at the Newport Casino. Murray posted a 7-5, 6-2 win over then-rookie Querrey back in 2006.
New options for fans
What’s new this year at the Hall of Fame Open? For starters, the way to get into the Newport Casino. The main gate has been shifted, from its tradition spot on Bellevue Avenue to along Memorial Boulevard.
Once inside, fans will be greeted by a trio of game booths, where they can test the speed of their serve, work on their golf chips or perfect their tennis forehand. This is also where visitors can grab a snack as vendors and picnic tables line the walk toward the courts.
The historic Horseshoe Court, located at the front of the property, has been transformed into an outdoor lounge, with couches and beanbags, as well as cornhole boards to pass the time between matches.
"The visitor experience is reimagine and enhanced with an all-new interactive Fan Zone on Memorial Boulevard and much more to do and see on-site," said tournament director Brewer Rowe. "This week, the Hall of Fame is a terrific place to send the day and enjoy world-class tennis and much more."
Hewitt to the Hall
On Saturday evening, two-time Grand Slam singles champion Lleyton Hewitt will take his place among the greats when he’s inducted into the Hall of Fame. Kubler, who was born in Brisbane, said Hewitt carried the tennis torch for the country for years.
“When I was growing up, he was the one on TV. He was really our guy,” Kubler said. “He was No. 1 for 80-something weeks. During his time, I don’t think we really had anyone else at that level. He was steering the ship for us. I don’t think there are too many players who had something similar to what he had.”
The two got to know each other on a personal level during Davis Cup play, when Kubler was a member of the team and Hewitt served as captain.
“There’s a bit more banter now when I see him. I’m not as nervous when I see him,” Kubler said. “It was great watching him when I was growing up, but even more so asking for advice or even him talking about his experiences. I feel I’m getting better just being around him.”
MONDAY'S RESULTS
MEN'S SINGLES
Qualification
Liam Broady (2), Britain, def. Brandon Holt, United States, 6-1, 6-3. William Blumberg, United States, def. Noah Rubin, United States, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Mitchell Krueger (3), United States, def. Gage Brymer, United States, 6-1, 6-4. Christopher Eubanks (4), United States, def. Mirza Basic (8), Bosnia-Herzegovina, 7-6, 7-5.
Men's Singles
Round of 32
Peter Gojowczyk, Germany, def. Ugo Humbert, France, 7-5, 6-4. Jason Kubler, Australia, def. Jordan Thompson, Australia, 6-2, 6-3.
MEN'S DOUBLES
Round of 16
Robert Galloway and Alex Lawson, United States, def. Adrian Mannarino and Quentin Halys, France, 6-3, 3-6, 10-7. Marcelo Melo, Brazil, and Raven Klaasen (1), South Africa, def. Ivan Sabanov and Matej Sabanov, Serbia, 6-2, 6-4. John-Patrick Smith, Australia, and Ramkumar Ramanathan, India, def. Hans Hach Verdugo, Mexico, and Hunter Reese (2), United States, 6-3, 6-4.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Tracy Austin's son hopes for a tennis career
