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Key Points

Tommy Paul impressively secured his place in the Roland Garros quarterfinals for the first time by defeating Alexei Popyrin in straight sets. This victory marks his advancement to the last eight at three of the four Grand Slam events, highlighting his versatility on different surfaces. Joining an elite group of American tennis legends, Paul remains the sole active American male to have reached Grand Slam quarterfinals on clay, grass, and hard courts. Looking ahead, he faces a challenging match against either defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or fellow countryman Ben Shelton.

Key Points: Tommy Paul's Historic First Roland Garros Quarterfinal Win

  • Tommy Paul defeats Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 at Roland Garros
  • Paul's first French Open quarterfinal and third major quarterfinal advancement
  • Will face Carlos Alcaraz or Ben Shelton next in the hunt for semis
  • American joins elite group reaching quarterfinals on all Grand Slam surfaces
2 min read

Tommy Paul reaches first Roland Garros QF with win over Popyrin

Tommy Paul reaches his first Roland Garros quarterfinal after defeating Alexei Popyrin in straight sets.

"Paul is now the sole active American to make it to Grand Slam quarter-finals on all three surfaces. - ATP"

Paris, June 1

Tommy Paul broke new ground on Sunday at Roland Garros, where he reached the quarter-finals at the clay-court major for the first time.

The American earned battling five-set wins against Marton Fucsovics and Karen Khachanov earlier this week but found the going easier against Alexei Popyrin, dispatching the Australian 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in one hour and 52 minutes as per ATP.

Paul has now reached the last eight at three of the four majors, advancing to the semi-finals at the Australian Open in 2023 and the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 2024. The 28-year-old is just the ninth American man in the Open Era and only active American to advance to Grand Slam quarter-finals on all three surfaces. He joins Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, Jim Courier, Vitas Gerulaitis, Brian Gottfried, John McEnroe and Pete Sampras.

Aiming to reach the last four in Paris, the 12th seed will next face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or countryman Ben Shelton. Paul trails Alcaraz 2-4 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series and is tied at 2-2 with Shelton.

Paul saved 90 per cent (9/10) of the break points he faced against Popyrin, stuck 27 winners to the Australian's 18 and committed 15 fewer unforced errors (22-37) than the World No. 25, according to Infosys Stats.

Paul is now 12-3 on clay this season, having reached the semi-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome last month. The four-time tour-level titlist is currently No. 8 in the ATP Live Rankings.

Popyrin had not dropped a set en route to reaching the fourth round in the French capital for the first time. The 25-year-old is up four spots to No. 21 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Impressive performance by Tommy Paul! 🇺🇸 It's great to see new faces making waves in tennis. Though I wish we had more Indian players reaching these stages in Grand Slams. Our tennis needs more investment and infrastructure to compete at this level.
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Priya M.
That stat about being only the 9th American man to reach QFs on all surfaces is mind-blowing! 🤯 Shows how consistent Paul has become. But the real test will be against Alcaraz - that match will be fire! Hope Sony Sports shows it live in India.
A
Arjun S.
As someone who follows tennis closely, I think Paul's game has improved tremendously on clay. His footwork and patience in rallies is what Indian players should learn. Our players struggle the most on this surface.
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Neha T.
The way he dominated Popyrin was clinical! 15 fewer unforced errors shows his discipline. But honestly, I'm more excited about the potential Alcaraz vs Paul match - that will be a real treat for tennis fans like me who stay up late to watch RG in India! 🌙🎾
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Vikram J.
While Paul's achievement is commendable, I feel the media gives too much attention to foreign players. When will we see our own Sumit Nagal or Ankita Raina making such deep runs? Aaj kal to bas cricket ka hi coverage hota hai sports channels pe.
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Sanjana P.
That 90% break point save rate is insane! 🤩 Paul's mental toughness in big moments reminds me of our own Leander Paes in his prime. Hope he can go all the way and make this tournament more interesting after so many top seeds have crashed out.

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