Dustin Brown, tryping to become the first Jamaican semifinalist in the Open Era, falls 7-6(5), 6-3 to Stephane Robert in Johannesburg.
The 25-year-old Brown, who has a German mother and Jamaican father, is 6'5" and sports almost waist-length dreadlocks. He was born in Germany and moved to Jamaica shortly before his teens
"It was good to see a harder side of life. In Germany as a 10- or 11-year-old, you have a computer, a Gameboy... In Jamaica there was not a lot of pampering," Brown told ATPtennis.com. "It was good for me personally, mentally and also for my game to get a little tougher and not to whine about everything."
Brown, who came into the tournament ranked No. 141, will move up a handful of ranking spots thanks to his quarterfinal finish.