Tommy Paul says what he found really ‘weird’ about his match against Gabriel Diallo at the US Open

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Tommy Paul has set up a fourth round clash with Jannik Sinner after his latest US Open victory against Canadian qualifier Gabriel Diallo.

As Gabriel Diallo skipped back to his chair after taking a tight first set tie-break, deflated Tommy Paul fans anxiously looked on as their man was forced to do it the hard way.

After upsets at Cincinnati and Montreal, Paul’s sharp form abandoned him soon after his doubles bronze at the Olympics.

Defeat to the high-flying Brandon Nakashima followed by another upset to new Italian sensation Flavio Cobolli prised up more questions that it answered coming into the US Open.

After fighting back yesterday to take the fourth set in a tie-break, Paul sets up his fourth career battle against current world number one and top seed Jannik Sinner.

Tommy Paul reflects on topsy-turvy third round US Open win

Having led a number of times in the opening set, the manner in which Paul ended up losing it initially looked concerning.

A steady, deliberate fightback settled the fizzing energy of the Canadian qualifier and allowed Paul to regain control of a match he’d carelessly let slip away.

“Lots of ups and downs. I wish I would have just consolidated my breaks and served a little better. It felt weird out there,” he explained afterwards in his press conference.

“I felt like we both returned really well but once we got into rallies we were both a little uncomfortable, which isn’t normally the case. It was definitely a super tricky match and probably weird for a lot of people that were watching.”

After an opening round win against Lorenzo Song followed by a second round walkover against Max Purcell, Paul’s level is yet to be tested by a seed, and in Sinner, he meets the man on top.

American tennis is thriving at the US Open

With five US men into the ATP top 20 for the first time since 1997 after Frances Tiafoe’s run to the final in Cincinnati, American tennis is enjoying an extended high in New York.

Nakashima’s run at the US Open has arguably been both the least expected and the most impressive with the 23-year-old now on the cusp of the top 40 and set to play Alexander Zverev for a spot in the quarters.

Similar success has been enjoyed on the women’s side of things, with Coco Gauff and Emma Navarro set to revisit their Wimbledon clash from July, as Jessica Pegula goes up against Russia’s Diana Shnaider, who she beat on the way to the title in Toronto three weeks ago.