French Open: American men’s day at Roland-Garros on Sunday was historic. The first American to advance to the quarterfinals of the French Open since Andre Agassi in 2003 is Tommy Paul. In order to do this, world No. 12 defeated Australia’s Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
In the fourth round of the clay court Grand Slam on Saturday, Americans tied a 40-year-old record with five women and three men, and Paul matched Andre Agassi’s 2003 run.
Paul’s 2023 Australian Open semifinal and 2024 Wimbledon quarterfinal runs also made him the only active American player to make it to the round of eight on all three surfaces.
Paul was broken in the first game, which caused a temporary hiccup in the match. But he soon recovered, striking back right away and controlling the remainder of the match. Popyrin, who had advanced to the fourth round without dropping a set, found it difficult to settle into a rhythm against Paul’s unrelenting baseline play and better movement.
The Australian, unable to stop Paul’s aggressive efforts, was clearly frustrated and often looked to his box.
After adding another break to win the set, the American defeated his 25th-seeded opponent in less than two hours, leading 3-0 in the third.
Later, on Sunday night, 15th-seeded Frances Tiafoe defeated German player Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) to advance two American men to the round of eight at the French Open and earn her first-ever quarterfinal appearance. As of right now, Tiafoe has won every set at the event, becoming the first American since Agassi in 1995 to go to the French Open quarterfinals without dropping a set.
Paul now faces fellow American Ben Shelton or Carlos Alcaraz, the second seed and reigning champion. Tuesday is the scheduled date of the match, giving Paul time to recuperate following his impressive showing in the fourth round.
