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By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday January 21, 2025

 
Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev defeated Tommy Paul in four sets to reach his ninth career Grand Slam semifinal.

Photo Source: Getty

Tommy Paul missed out on a chance to enter the Top-10 for the first time two weeks ago in Adelaide. Rather than hang his head, the 27-year-old American showed up at the Australian open like a man on a mission.

Tennis Express

Thanks to four wins in Melbourne, he will enter the Top 10 on the Monday after the Australian Open, but his journey stopped on Tuesday.

The theme of missed opportunities would prevail on a scorching hot afternoon in Rod Laver Arena as Paul failed to capitalize on myriad opportunities in the first two sets and fell to second-seeded Alexander Zverev 7-6(0), 7-6(1), 2-6, 6-1.

"To be honest I should have been down two sets to love," Zverev said. "He served for it in both of those sets and he played better than me. I was not playing great and I thought he was - I somehow won the first set, somehow won the second set, and I was up two sets to love all a sudden.

I needed only one more set, and the fourth set was the best that I played. I'm obviously happy to be back in the semifinal."


Paul served for both sets, and had a set point in each set as well, but he couldn’t come through against the determined World No. 2 in their third career meeting.

The American had won both his previous meetings against Zverev but the German has held up better against top competition of late, and at the Slams in general. Zverev, who will face either Carlos Alcaraz or Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, has now won nine of his last 10 matches against the Top-20. Meanwhile, Paul has never defeated a Top-5 player at a Slam in six opportunities.


Paul's Missed Chances

Paul may have been the better player across the first two sets, but it was the German who used his guile to come out with his nose in front.

Paul made a beautiful backhand drop shot to earn triple set point with Zverev serving at 5-5 in the opener, and two points later he pulled the trigger on a forehand, forcing a Zverev backhand into the net to lead 6-5. The American had a set point a moment later, but would suddenly go cold, as Zverev broke back and won 10 of the next eleven points to lock down the opener in a tiebreak.

Paul rebounded quickly in the second set, breaking for two-love, but again he had difficulty serving for the set. He was broken in the ninth game and then failed to convert a set point as Zverev wiggled out of trouble yet again, consolidating to level at five-all.

Two games later, the 6’6” German powered through another tiebreak to take a two sets to love lead.

Paul managed to turn things around briefly by taking lopsided third set, but the fourth set was equally as lopsided in favor of the German, who closed out his victory in three hours and 28 minutes.

Credit Zverev, who improves to 30-9 lifetime at the Australian open, for his refusal to quit. It's the type of effort he has been putting forth at the majors consistently over the last year. The 27-year-old has now won 23 of his last 27 Grand Slam matches and he is into his 9th career Grand Slam semifinal, and he second consecutive semifinal in Melbourne. 

 

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