Tommy Paul is into the fourth round at the US Open following a win over Canadian player Gabriel Diallo.
The tournament is now in full swing and as we approach the second week it will be fascinating to see who claims the final Grand Slam of the year.
One thing we do know is that it won’t be Carlos Alcaraz or Novak Djokovic. The pair have both crashed out of the Flushing Meadows event and now the opportunity is there for someone.
Could that person be American star Paul? His 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 victory was a decent one and now he will face the world number one Jannik Sinner in the last 16.
Paul has never been beyond the fourth round of the competition and he will now be hoping to claim a quality win and reach the quarter-final.
What Tommy Paul’s box kept saying to him during US Open victory over Diallo
The player won the tournament at Queen’s prior to Wimbledon and he’s shown that he can win titles in the past.
Now, he will be among a clutch of stars who feel that they can win a Grand Slam without Alcaraz or Djokovic providing competition.
After his four-set victory yesterday, he shared what his box kept telling him during the contest.
He said during his press conference: “In those moments you are just trying to keep a clear head. Everything can look like it is coming at you really fast and I think my team did a good job. I relied on them quite a bit. They told me to slow down or clear your mind or whatever it was.
“It was a weird situation. The conditions couldn’t have been much better, there was no wind or sun, playing on a packed Louis Armstrong stadium so I wish I played a little better on my service games, but I’m sure he would say the same thing.
“He played great on my service games and made it uncomfortable to play. On his forehand, he hits the outside of the ball, so it’s curving away from you, and then on the backhand he hits a very flat ball. So it’s two very opposite ways.”
Paul is capable of winning US Open – but he must believe
In the second half of 2024, American tennis has really kicked on. The quarter-final of Wimbledon featured two US starts for the first time in many years.
Both Paul and Taylor Fritz were beaten but the future definitely looks bright again when it comes to tennis in the States.
It’s certainly a good thing for Paul that he’s got a quality team in his corner and that could seriously help him in his next round.
- READ MORE: Taylor Fritz equals Andre Agassi record
Paul has defeated the top players during his career and now he has a big chance to make the quarter-final of a Grand Slam by beating the world number one.
Sinner is a tough opponent but Paul will hope to seize the moment and get through to the last eight for the first time at Flushing Meadows.
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