Tommy Paul became the first American male tennis player to advance to the French Open Quarter Finals in 22 years, earning a direct set victory over Alexei Popilin, 6-3, 6-3 and 6-3.
No. 12 seed required five sets to defeat Márton Fucsovics in the second round and Karen Khachanov in the third round. Meanwhile, draw No. 25 Popilin hasn’t lost a set in the first three matches of the tournament. So, Paul’s relatively easy fourth round victory was a surprise.
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Popilin gained an early advantage and defeated Paul’s service to win the first game. However, Paul quickly regained that late start and managed to control the game with a 5-3 lead. Popilin looked to be a rally after taking a 0-40 lead in the next game. However, Paul bouncing back to score the next three points, reaching almost every return, landing a difficult shot to score that first set.
The Australian also helped Paul pass through three sets fairly quickly by beating himself, making 37 forced errors during the match. In some respects, Popilin turned to the coachbox to find the answer. Or let your frustration go through his mistake.
After the match, Paul did not have to play three consecutive five sets of matches and expressed his relief for beating Popilin within two hours. (His previous three games lasted nearly 11 hours in total.)
“I’m so happy to have a straight set victory,” he said via USA Today. “I’ve been playing a very long game, so it felt really good. A short game like this can go a long way.”
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The last American player to pass the fourth round at Roland Garos was Andre Agassi in 2003. In the quarterfinals, Agassi lost to Guillermo Korea in four sets.
Paul will face Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated American-American Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.
Francis Tiafoe has not lost a set in four games on his way to the 2025 French Open Quarter Final. (AP Photo/Lindsay Wasson)
(AP News)
Frances Tiafoe reaches the quarter without losing sets
Francis Tiafoe joined Paul in the quarter-finals, beating Daniel Altmeier in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 7-6. Two Americans have made it to the 16th round of the French Open for the first time since Jim Courier and Pete Sampras did (and performed with each other) in 1996.
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Tiafoe has not lost a set in four matches at Roland-Garros. On his way to the dorm, he defeats Roman Saffulin, Pablo Carreñobusta and American-American Sebastian Corda to meet Altmaier in the fourth round.
It was a straightforward victory for the No. 15 seed, but the Altmaier didn’t come down easily. He took a 5-2 lead in the third set, but the mistake allowed Tiafoe to take it to the tiebreaker. One such error occurred when Altmaier returned the forehand with Tiafoe rather than angled it towards the open part of the courthouse.
In a post-match interview, Tiafoe admitted that Altmaier had him run through the court. But he was also rightly pleased how well he was played.
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“The third set he started getting a lot of balls high and felt like a boy under 12 here,” he said via athletic. “I was very tough, won straight sets in every match and played only one set that wasn’t clean. It’s pretty impressive for me.”
On Tuesday, Tiafoe played No. 8 Lorenzo Musetti, who defeated No. 10 Holger Rune, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. If he wins that match, either of the national matches against Alcaraz or Paul will rise next.
