By Karolos Grohmann
PARIS (Reuters) -World number 12 Tommy Paul blitzed Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-3 6-3 on Sunday to become the first American male player to reach the French Open quarter-finals in 22 years.
Paul matched Andre Agassi’s run from 2003 after Americans on Saturday equalled a 40-year-old record with five women and three men in round four of the clay court Grand Slam.
Paul also became the only active American player to reach the last eight on all three surfaces after his 2023 Australian Open semi-final and 2024 Wimbledon quarter-final runs.
“I am very happy to get a straight sets win. I have been playing some very long matches so that felt really good,” Paul, who spent almost 11 hours on court in his previous three rounds, which included two five-setters, said in a post-match interview.
“Shorter matches like this help a lot.”
The 28-year-old found himself a break down after the first game, before immediately resetting the match’s trajectory, breaking straight back to correct his early setback.
Popyrin, a former junior champion in Paris like Paul, had not lost a set in his run to the fourth round but found himself a set down when he was broken again, with Paul’s superior movement and clinical shot-making handing him the first set.
The Australian, constantly turning to his box to express his frustration, was clearly rattled with Paul attacking at every chance and with Popyrin’s second serve proving a weakness.
He was broken again at the start of the second set with Paul now firing on all cylinders and hitting winners at will.
The American added another break to land the set before going 3-0 up in the third and finishing off his 25th-seeded opponent in less than two hours.
He will now face either second seed and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or fellow American Ben Shelton.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Ken Ferris)
