Tommy Paul’s best Masters 1000 campaign came to an end after bowing out of the Italian Open to Jannik Sinner
Paul lost to Sinner in a match that looked promising for the American at the beginning, having won the first set 6-1 to silence the Rome crowd.
After taking the lead, Paul‘s hot start was met with an immediate reply from the world number one, who took the next two sets comfortably, with the match ending 1-6, 6-0, 6-3.
While Sinner is now set to play Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Italian Open, Paul will now have his eyes set on the second Grand Slam of the year at Roland Garros, where he has never made it past the third round.
Despite his tournament coming to an end, Paul’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed by former US Open champion Andy Roddick, who spoke on his compatriot’s game following the defeat.
Andy Roddick says there’s something about Tommy Paul that isn’t talked about enough
Speaking on the Tennis Channel Live Podcast, Roddick said: “Going down 6-3 in the third to the best player in the world for the last couple of years is a great result for Tommy Paul. He played great against the Demon. He figured it out against Hurkacz.”
“I think this was a nine out of 10 week for Tommy Paul, He was hoping for a little bit more, but his variety is what I am always impressed with.”
“His ability to hit the short kicker and ramp it up to 140mph. He flattened the ball out a bit more through the court today.”
“Now it was not enough as you have to produce and produce over and over [against Sinner] but Tommy’s movement on clay too, I don’t know if we talk about that enough. We talk about it on hard courts but he can slide for six feet if he needs to.”
Tommy Paul’s best campaign of the season at the Italian Open
Paul has enjoyed an impressive tournament at the Italian Open, which is the fourth Masters 1000 tournament he has competed in this year.
Seeded 11th, he began in Rome with a comfortable straight-sets victory over Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round.
| Round | Oppenent | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-Final | Jannik Sinner | 1-6, 6-0, 6-3 (L) |
| Quarter-Final | Hubert Hurkacz | 7-6, 6-3 (W) |
| Round of 16 | Alex de Minaur | 7-5, 6-3 (W) |
| Third Round | Tomas Mahac | 6-3, 6-7, 6-4 (W) |
| Second Round | Roberto Bautista Agut | 6-1, 6-4 (W) |
In the third round, Paul emerged victorious in a tight three-set match against Tomas Machac, before earning his biggest win of the season by ranking against world number eight Alex de Minaur.
In his quarter-final match, he found a way past big server Hubert Hurkacz to book his place in the Rome semi-final for the second year in a row.
The 27-year-old ultimately fell to a red-hot Sinner, but can leave the Eternal City with some confidence in his clay-court game heading into the French Open.
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