HOUSTON, February 19, 2026 (Media Release)
A pair of 24-year-old Americans who are currently at their career high ATP ranking are the latest players to commit to play the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship.
Both players are also former college stars, with No. 29 Brandon Nakashima having played at Virginia while No. 67 Eliot Spizzirri was a standout at Texas. The addition of this duo brings the total of Americans committed to play the tournament to nine.
The only ATP tournament played on clay in North America, US Clay will take place March 28-April 5 at River Oaks Country Club.
“We are thrilled to be able to announce the commitments of Brandon and Eliot,” said Tournament Director Bronwyn Greer. “This year’s field is already incredibly strong, and we look forward to seeing who else will join these committed players to compete at River Oaks in a few short weeks.”
Nakashima opened his 2026 season with a final in Brisbane. The early success comes after a 2025 campaign in which he reached three semifinals, five quarterfinals and the Round of 16 at three Masters 1000 events.
In 2021, Nakashima had a sensational summer, reaching back-to-back Tour finals and in 2022, he claimed the title at both his hometown event in San Diego and the Next Gen ATP Finals.
At UVA, Nakashima was named ACC Freshman of the Year before turning pro in 2019.
This will be Nakashima’s third US Clay appearance. He was a quarterfinalist in 2024 before reaching the semifinals last year.
Spizzirri was named ITA National Player of the Year in back-to-back years, making him just the fourth player to have earned that honor twice. He finished his UT tenure as one of winningest players in program history, amassing more than 100 wins in both singles and doubles.
Following his Longhorn career, Spizzirri has already reached two ATP quarterfinals in just nine ATP events, including at Auckland in January and Brussels last fall. Last season in Challenger events, he won two titles, reached two other finals and was a six-time semifinalist
This will be Spizzirri’s River Oaks debut.
Seven of the Americans who have already committed to play US Clay are in the Top 50 this week, led by No. 9 Ben Shelton. View the entries
Shelton (2022) is one of four former champions in the field, joined by Jenson Brooksby (2025), Frances Tiafoe (2024) and Reilly Opelka (2022).
The initial player entry list for the 2026 Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship will be released in early March. This year’s tournament will feature qualifying play on Stadium Court over opening weekend, March 28-29, and will conclude with the singles and doubles finals on Sunday, April 5.
