Tommy Paul is into the Round of 16 of the US Open for just the second time in his career.
The American has been playing some inspired tennis thus far in his home country, enthralling fans with his all-action brand of tennis.
However, he will need much more than that if he is to now overcome Jannik Sinner to reach the next stage.
Fortunately, for fans of the country and its tennis prospects, there is so much American talent still in the competition that could all continue flying the flag even if the world number one struts his stuff.
Tommy Paul reacts to American performance at the US Open
Speaking to reporters after his tough, hard-fought win over Gabriel Diallo, Tommy Paul was quizzed about the state of American tennis at the moment, particularly on the men’s side.
After all, the women boast a plethora of talent, many of who have won Grand Slam titles, with Coco Gauff now leading the way as this year’s defending champion in New York.
Meanwhile, an American male has not won a Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick in 2003.
A shocking statistic, this particular tournament represents a fine chance to shift that narrative.
And, with four US men still in the running, he remains optimistic, noting: ‘It’s amazing! I wish we had 10 guys! It’s fun watching them.
‘The match with Ben and Foe was an amazing match and I think there is going to be a lot more of those in the next five to 10 years. We have a great group of guys and Nakashima is stepping up, he has been playing awesome, he really has. It’s exciting. We all want to do really well here and make it to the last weekend, hopefully at some point we are playing each other in the last weekend!’
Tommy Paul now has the ultimate challenge facing Jannik Sinner
Paul has had a good run thus far, playing some solid tennis and dropping just a couple of sets across three matches.
However, he will have to summon all of his talent now to overcome his good friend Sinner, who he faces for a spot in the quarter-finals.
It promises to be one of the matches of the tournament, with the Italian naturally the heavy favourite.
It’s worth outlining how much of an impact the crowd could have on aiding Paul’s performance though, potentially giving him that extra boost to allow him to match the 23-year-old.
That’s without even mentioning all the mental turmoil that Sinner’s drugs case has provoked.
He too is going to be pushed further than he has done all tournament, and it promises to be a stern test for both involved. Whoever comes out the other end as the victor will then be in a prime spot to win the entire event.
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