Tennis Sensation Tommy Paul Shines at Italian Open, Secures Semifinal Spot
“My game plan coming in was, I got to get in as many of his service games as possible and try and get a couple of breaks. So on that aspect, I did very, very well today,” Paul said. “But my next match, I’m probably going to focus on holding serve a little bit more.”
In a remarkable display of resilience, American tennis star Tommy Paul has produced the biggest clay-court result of his career at the prestigious Italian Open. The 16th-ranked player has continued his impressive run, securing a spot in the semifinals after a hard-fought victory over ninth-ranked Hubert Hurkacz.
The 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 triumph over Hurkacz follows Paul’s straight-set victory over defending champion Daniil Medvedev, marking the first time in his career that he has defeated two top-10 players consecutively on any surface. The American’s game plan of getting into as many of Hurkacz’s service games as possible paid off, as he broke the big-serving Pole seven times, although he also dropped his own serve six times.
Before his recent success, Paul had never defeated a top-20 player on clay, making his achievements at the Foro Italico all the more remarkable. In the semifinals on Friday, the American will face either Monte Carlo Masters champion Stefanos Tsitsipas or Nicolas Jarry, who were playing their quarterfinal match later.
Women’s Event: Iga Swiatek Extends Winning Streak
Meanwhile, in the women’s event, world number one Iga Swiatek extended her winning streak to 11 matches with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff. Swiatek, who is attempting to complete the “dirt double” by winning the Madrid Open and Italian Open back-to-back, will face either second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka or Danielle Collins in the final.
With Paul’s impressive run and the presence of Gauff and Collins in the semifinal, there are three American semifinalists at the Italian Open, a testament to the growing strength of U.S. tennis. The tournament serves as the last major warmup event before the French Open, which begins in just 10 days, where Paul will be looking to make a deep run and potentially become the first American man to reach the Rome final since Andre Agassi’s triumph in 2002.
🔗 Source
