After reaching the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2024, Tommy Paul looked like he was finally coming into his own as a player. However, his past two participations in the event ended in disappointment.
Paul was sent packing from Wimbledon earlier than expected on Friday, losing to Hubert Hurkas in four sets (4-6, 7-6, 7-5, 6-2).
advertisement
It was a sloppy match for Paul, who had six double faults. Despite this difference, Hurkas actually made more unforced errors in the match, and Paul’s inaccurate serve played a large role in the loss. In addition to that, Harkas served well, earning 20 aces in the victory.
It was a disappointing result for the American, who had previously achieved good results at Wimbledon. Among the four major tournaments, Paul’s 71 percent win rate at Wimbledon was the second-highest, just ahead of his 72 percent win rate at the Australian Open. After Paul’s loss on Friday, that gap will widen further.
Although Paul has shown signs of success, he has yet to win a Grand Slam. The closest he came was reaching the semifinals of the 2023 Australian Open. Paul has appeared in the quarterfinals of three Grand Slam tournaments, the last being at Roland Garros in 2025.
This is Harkasz’s second win against Pole. Before Friday’s game, Paul was leading the head-to-head matchup with Hurkas 3-1. This is also the third time in seven attempts that Hurkas has reached the fourth round at Wimbledon. He made it to the semi-finals of this event, reaching that stage in 2021.
advertisement
Harkasz is scheduled to face Jan-Lennard Struff in the fourth round on Sunday and plans to continue his run. This will be the fifth time the two have faced each other head-to-head. Each player has won two of their last four matches.
