Tommy Paul equals 21-year Andy Roddick record ahead of his Australian Open quarter-final against Alexander Zverev

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Tommy Paul has soared into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open after easing past Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in round four.

Paul occupies 11th place in the ATP Tour rankings, and now faces world number two Alexander Zverev in Melbourne.

American ace Paul lost to Jannik Sinner in the US Open last time out, having fallen to the eventual champion in the fourth round.

But he has now gone one step further at the Australian Open thanks to a 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 win over Fokina in one hour and 27 minutes.

Sinner has been backed to win the Australian Open, but Paul is among the players with a fine chance of a real title challenge.

Tommy Paul emulates Andy Roddick after reaching second Australian Open quarter-final

He certainly has momentum on his side, with the 27-year-old having just become the youngest American to reach a second Australian Open men’s singles quarter-final since Andy Roddick in 2004, as per OptaAce.

Moreover, only Stefan Edberg (two) in 1987 has dropped fewer games in a completed Open Era Australian Open round of 16 match than Paul (three).

Tommy Paul grateful for ‘more structure’ ahead of Australian Open match against Alexander Zverev

Paul’s best run in Australia and indeed at any Grand Slam came in 2023, when he fell to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-final.

Djokovic remains in the competition at this stage, although the veteran faces a very tricky quarter-final test against Carlos Alcaraz.

READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz surpasses Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick record after his Australian Open second round win

And that is a match that directly impacts Paul should he beat Zverev, with the two winners of the two matches set to meet in the semi-final.

He currently has four ATP Tour titles to his name and occupies a career-high ranking, with Paul asked in his latest post-match press conference what he has changed to find such consistency and reach this stage.

“I mean, I think everything is just a little bit more scheduled,” he said. “There’s a lot more structure in my life, I would say.

“I have such a good team around me. I would probably credit most of it to my team. Keeping my body healthy is huge throughout the whole year.

“Last year I had one setback with the rolled ankle and we were back on court in two weeks, playing a tournament three weeks later, which wouldn’t be the case before. We’re just much more on top of things. Yeah, I mean, we’re working hard in everything that we can.”