Tommy Paul became the fifth American in the Rome semifinals since 2000.
Tommy Paul (16th place in ATP) reached the semi-finals of the Rome Masters 1000 after defeating Hubert Hurkacz (9th place) with scores of 7-5, 3-6 and 6-3 in two hours and 44 minutes. Thus, he entered the top four in the tournament in this category. first time on brick dust.
There were several breaks in the first set. There was no clear dominance in the match during intense rallies, and this was evident throughout its even development. In the second set, although Paul broke through from the start, another Hurkacz could be seen. Firmer in his delivery, he was able to stretch the action into the third.
The parity observed in the first and last games of the match was maintained here. duration more than 15 minutes, was a true reflection of this. Finally, the American managed to close it and advance to the round.
They have faced each other twice during their careers, with one win for each side, both at the Masters 1000: in 2021. Pole won in Paris on 7-5 and 7-6(4) and in 2023 an American did the same in Indian Wells the scores are 4-6, 6-2 and 6-4.
New Jersey native became the fifth American to reach the semifinals in Rome since 2000.. So it was added to the list consisting of Andrew Agassi (2002 and 2005), Andy Roddick (2002 and 2008), John Isner (2017) and Reilly Opelka (2021). Of all of them, only Agassi (2002) has so far been consecrated.
Besides, For the first time in his career, he won two victories in a row. against tennis players ranked in the top ten. Previously, he beat Daniil Medvedev in straight sets.
On the side of Hurkacz This is his best performance at the competition, which takes place in the Italian capital.. Previously, the highlight was the third round, which he reached in 2020. In fact, he came in with a 2-4 record at the Rome tournament.
The Wroclaw native made his debut at Foro Italico with a comfortable win over Rafael Nadal the score is 6-1 and 6-3. He subsequently surpassed Argentine Tomas Echeverri and Sebastian Baez in two and three sets, respectively. Thanks to his victory over Baez, he in turn managed to reach the quarterfinals of all existing Masters 1000 tournaments on the circuit.
In the next round, Paul will meet the winner of the fight between Nicholas Jarry and Stefanos Tsitsipas. In both cases, the 26-year-old player (he turns 27 tomorrow) is behind the record: 0-1 against the Chilean and 0-3 against the Greek.