PARIS — Tommy Paul made history as he became the first American man to reach the French Open quarterfinals since 2003, achieving this feat with a decisive victory over Alexei Popyrin. Paul, who holds the 12th seed at Roland-Garros, defeated his 25th-seeded Australian opponent with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. This match, which took less than two hours, marked a triumphant end to his streak of grueling five-set battles. A pivotal aspect of Paul’s win was his success in saving 9 out of 10 break points while converting 5 out of the 6 he created for himself.
Both athletes share a common history, having each won junior singles titles on the Parisian red clay, with Paul’s victory occurring a decade ago. The American’s past achievements include reaching the semifinals at the 2023 Australian Open and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon the previous year, showcasing his versatility across hard, grass, and now clay court surfaces. This accomplishment makes Paul the first currently active U.S. male tennis player to reach the Grand Slam quarterfinals on all three surfaces.
The last time multiple American men advanced to this stage at the French Open was in 1996, when tennis legends Jim Courier and Pete Sampras participated. Andre Agassi was the most recent American semifinalist in this tournament, famously clinching the title in 1999 to secure his career Grand Slam. On the same day as Paul’s victory, fellow Americans Ben Shelton, seeded 13th, and Frances Tiafoe, seeded 15th, competed for their chance to reach the quarterfinals. Shelton faced the challenge of reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz from Spain, while Tiafoe played against Germany’s Daniel Altmaier.
In women’s competition, five American players reached the fourth round of the tournament. Among them, Amanda Anisimova, ranked 16th, was set to face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. Other American hopefuls such as Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, and Hailey Baptiste were also preparing to battle for a place in the quarterfinals on Monday.