By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday February 16, 2024
Tommy Paul stretched his winning streak to six and set a semifinal clash with former champion Frances Tiafoe at Delray Beach.
Photo Source: Matthew Calvis
The stars and stripes are playing a starring role at this year's Delray Beach Open.
For the first time in history all four semifinalists are wearing the American flag. It marks just the fourth time that we've seen an American semifinal quartet on the ATP tour since 2000.
Paul sets Popcorn Clash with Tiafoe
Tommy Paul continued his top-notch tennis on Friday, easing past Australia’s Jordan Thompson, 6-4, 6-3 to stretch his current winning streak to six and set a semifinal with and old friend and soon to be foe.
That would be Big Foe, Frances Tiafoe, who also moved through in straight sets, taking out Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in Friday’s second quarterfinal at Delray Beach.
Paul v Tiafoe, episode four, comes over two years after the pair’s last meeting.
Tiafoe defeated Paul in their first meeting in 2020 in Delray Beach, and Paul returned the favor en route to his first ATP title in the semifinals at Stockholm in 2021.
Paul took their last meeting as well, in straight sets at Adelaide in 2022.
“He’s a good guy, a funny guy, a genuine dude,” Tiafoe said of the fourth career meeting with Paul. “He’s super fast, he’s gonna make me play a lot of balls and he’s serving much better. We know each other’s games so well, so that’s always tough, but I’m super excited for it.”
Tiafoe played fantastic tennis against Cobolli, winning 6-4, 6-2 in 68 minutes and winning 23 of 29 first-serve points to snap a five-match losing streak in quarterfinal matches. Tiafoe, the 2018 champion in Delray Beach, also won 13 of 18 second-serve points against the 21-year-old Italian
Paul broke early in both sets, but he had trouble closing out the opener, against Thompson. The Aussie saved three set points while serving at 2-5, then held his serve and broke Paul to get back on serve. But Paul broke at 30 to claim the set, 6-4.
In the second Thompson was pesky again, breaking back for 1-2, but he couldn’t hold in the next game. Paul broke for 3-1 and didn’t face a break point the rest of the way, he converted his second match point to close out the victory and notch his second Delray Beach semi-final appearance.
Paul is into his tenth career ATP semifinal with the win; Tiafoe is into his 13th.
First All-American Semifinal Quartet in Tournament History
Marcos Giron joined Paul and Tiafoe in the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Patrick Kypson. Giron is into back-to-back semifinals on the ATP Tour for the first time in his career, and will rise to a career-high ranking next week (he's currently up to 44 in the live rankings, vs a previous career-high of 49).
Defending champion Taylor Fritz made it an All-American semifinal quartet in the final match of the evening. He defeated Australia's Rinky Hijikata 6-3, 6-3 to solidify the semifinals. It's the first time in Delray Beach Open history that four Americans have qualified for the semifinals, and just the fourth time since 2000.
All-American semifinals on ATP Tour, since 2000:
2003, Memphis: Taylor Dent, Andy Roddick, Vince Spadea, Brian Vahaly
2004 San Jose: Andre Agassi, Mardy Fish, Robert Kendrick, Andy Roddick
2022 Dallas: Jenson Brooksby, Marcos Giron, John Isner, Reilly Opelka
2024 Delray Beach: Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Marcos Giron.