Tommy Paul says what was ‘strange’ and unusual about his opponent in the first round at the French Open after knocking him out

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Tommy Paul came through his first-round match at the French Open yesterday, but it was not without a little bit of adversity.

After all, facing qualifier Elmer Møller in what was his first-ever appearance at a Grand Slam, it was expected that the American would blitz past him.

Clearly, the Dane did not read the script though, racing into a one-set lead after snagging the tiebreak.

In the end, Paul’s quality shone through, but it was not without an initial scare.

Tommy Paul reacts to his first-round win at Roland Garros

Reacting to that result and losing the first set, the 28-year-old admitted that he was taken aback by the level of Møller.

However, it was not just his impressive play that Paul struggled to grasp, but a unique and odd game plan which he seemingly could not get to grips with in the first set.

He started by stating: ‘I think he came out playing well, he came out ready to go and I started a little slow and also a little nervous and after that first set I felt like I was able to loosen up and really start playing my game a bit better.’

Then honing in on the 21-year-old, Paul continued: ‘Obviously a very different kind of player, I guess. He was running round to hit backhands which you do not see very often, and especially running around to hit them inside out, which was kind of strange but he did it very well.

‘But from the ground he stuck with me pretty well. I thought it was an interesting match for sure.

‘Not really [surprised]. I saw a couple of points he played against Fonseca in Madrid, so I kind of knew what he plays like.’

Jim Courier predicted Tommy Paul’s French Open run earlier this month, remaining optimistic about his compatriot.

Tommy Paul leading American hopes at the French Open

Tommy Paul, particularly on the men’s side, will spearhead the bulk of American hopes at the French Open this year.

However, and rather unsurprisingly, this country is not short of contenders for the title.

Coco Gauff is leading women’s side for the USA, as the clear outstanding candidate given her impressive clay-court season.

And whilst Paul may not be the highest-ranked American heading into Roland Garros, his performances on clay across the last few years have been the most impressive.

Taylor Fritz’s clay-court season this year has been really underwhelming, and whilst Ben Shelton reached the final in Munich, he underperformed in the Masters events.

Paul, meanwhile, reached the semi-finals in Houston and Rome whilst losing to eventual finalist Jack Draper in Madrid.

Having never surpassed the third round at the French Open though, this year should represent a fine opportunity to do so, starting with a solid win to kickstart that run.