Tommy Paul rounds out a quartet of American men entering Round of 16
Sep 01, 2024
Tommy Paul is the fourth American male to make it into the Round of 16 at the US Open this year. And all the U.S. men have ties to Florida.
So who are the four with ties to Florida? Tommy Paul lives and trains in Boca Raton. The same goes for Frances Tiafoe. Taylor Fritz has a residence in Miami. And, after suffering an injury, Brandon Nakashima was training last fall in Naples at the Emilio Sanchez Academy.
It turns out that this is the second year in a row that four Americans have made it to the Round of 16. Tommy Paul, who was on the cover of Florida Tennis earlier this year, enjoyed a a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (3) win yesterday over Canadian qualifier Gabriel Diallo.
Photo credit: ATP Tour
Tommy made the quarterfinals at Wimbledon this year, but last year’s fourth-round exit (to former Florida Gator Ben Shelton) was the furthest he's gone in Flushing Meadows.
Looking back, the last American man to win a Grand Slam title was Andy Roddick who boasts a US Open championship trophy dating all the way back to 2003.
Who's next for Tommy Paul? Could he be the one to take it all the way? Ummm... not so fast. The 27-year-old will face top seed Jannik Sinner next.
That said, Sinner admits he's a bit nervous going up against Paul for his next match. "He's a great mover. He has improved a lot... It's going to be a tough challenge," Sinner told reporters after his most recent win.
"He plays some great tennis, especially here in America, so it's going be a tough match for me," Sinner confessed.
We're pulling for Paul but he'll need to dig deep to take down the Italian.
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Written by Florida Tennis Editor and Publisher Matt Pressman. Top photo: ATP Tour.