By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Thursday, May 16, 2024
Tommy Paul broke seven times and saved six break points in the final game subduing Hubert Hurkacz 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, for his 150th career win in Rome.
Photo credit: Getty
ATP ace leader Hubert Hurkacz brings blazing heat—and big hurt—on serve.
Tommy Paul delivered pain cure—and a defiant final game stand.
More: Break Ups & Love Matches
Paul broke serve seven times and saved six break points in a dizzying final game fighting off Hurkacz 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 in a wild win to reach his maiden Rome semifinal.
In a stirring stand, Paul scored his 150th career victory to advance to his 12th semifinal.
One round after Paul dethroned defending champion Daniil Medvedev, the man nicknamed T-Pain plugged into pure defiance and positive aggression in that gripping final game that spanned 15 frenetic minutes and felt like downing six straight shots of espresso.
On his first match point, a flying Paul went airborne for a leaping forehand volley and landed on the seat of his shorts as the yellow ball flirted with the very top of the tape before dribbling back on the American’s side.
That near miss did not deter Paul, who climbed up off the salmon-colored canvas and played dynamic points to prevail in a two hour, 43 battle that saw the pair combine for 13 service breaks.
It’s a massive moment for Paul, whose win over world No. 4 Medvedev and world No. 9 Hurkacz give him successive Top 10 victories for the first time in his career.
“I started off pretty well, things really got away from me there in the second set and the beginning of the third,” Paul said in his on-court interview after joining Taylor Fritz (253) and Frances Tiafoe (187) as the third active American man to eclipse 150 career wins. “Just had to stick around, fake a little energy to get myself going there in the third.
“And I started looking for my forehand more, started hitting my forehand bigger, started playing with a little bit more intensity. So that was probably the key for me in the end.”
The 14th-seeded Paul will play either sixth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas or 21st-seeded Chilean Nicolas Jarry for a spot in Sunday’s final. Paul’s primary focus for the semifinals: Hold serve.
“My game plan coming in was I gotta get in as many of his service games as possible and try and get a couple of breaks,” Paul said. “On that aspect, I did very, very well today.
“But for my next match I’m probably going to focus on holding serve a little bit more.”
Rome quarterfinal debutant Hurkacz saved a break point to hold in the opening game.
Two games later, Paul picked on the Pole’s forehand to puncture serve. Playing off his front foot, Paul hit a cluster of crosscourt forehands, forcing Hurkacz into a stretched, squash-shot reply before he stepped in and whipped the winner to the opposite corner to break.
Trying to consolidate, Paul was in position at net but botched a forehand volley to face a break point. Working his way to net again, Paul attacked Hurkacz’s weaker forehand wing, but the seventh seed slipped a sliding forehand pass breaking back in the fourth game.
Shaking it off, Paul scored the third straight break for 3-2 when Hurkacz floated a forehand. This time, Paul successfully attacked, applying his front-court skills to back up the break for 4-2.
Serving for the set at 5-4, Paul saved a break point then dug in and won a long backhand-to-backhand exchange to erase a second break point. Paul saved a third break point only to see a Hurkacz’ backhand crash into the tape, pop up into the air then plop over on Paul’s side for a fourth break point.
That relentless pressure proved too much: Paul put a forehand down the line into net as Hurkacz broke back for 5-all.
All that good work Hurkacz did dissipated in the dirt as he played a sloppy 11th game dropping serve at love to hand Paul the break and a 6-5 lead.
The world No. 16 sped out to a triple-set point lead, prompting the typically stoic Hurkacz to bounce his Yonex racquet off the dirt in disgust.
On his second set point, Paul closed on another Hurkacz forehand error. Paul won 10 of 14 points played on Hurkacz’s second serve and converted three of four break points in the one-hour opening set.
When Hurkacz, one of the game’s most imposing servers, wasn’t landing first serves, the man nicknamed T-Pain brought the hurt on second serve.
Continuing to drive deep returns, Paul broke to start the second set when Hurkacz’s forehand failed him. Paul held a break point to go up 3-0, but Hurkacz held his ground.
“Keep playing your way!” coach Craig Boynton exhorted Hurkacz, who answered the call breaking back in the fourth game. Hurkacz hit a fine angled volley for a break point then hooked a forehand inside the baseline drawing a forehand error for the break.
The Estoril champion cracked an ace and serve winner streaming through a love hold for 3-2.
Swinging freely, Hurkacz hammered successive aces to end a strong hold for 4-3.
Opening the eighth game with a double fault, Paul never recovered in an error-strewn game that saw him gift a love break. The Pole pulled ahead 5-3.
Even after changing racquets, Paul was having trouble landing drives between the lines. A resurgent Hurkacz rolled through 12 of the last 14 points to snatch the second set and force a decider with a semifinal spot on the line.
The man in the canary-colored kit needed to make a serving stand, but Paul spit up a double fault and a couple of backhand errors. Hurkacz gained his fifth break to open the final set.
A sliding Paul played determined defense stabbing back forehands to draw a forehand error and break back in the fourth game.
Pushed near the wide wall in pursuit of a slice serve, Hurkacz put his long reach to good effect. The Pole buzzed full-stretch forehand return at Paul’s feet for break point. On the following point, Paul framed a forehand high into the sky as Hurkacz broke for 3-2.
Though Hurkacz dug out of triple break point, Paul piled up the pressure to score his sixth break.
“T-Pain, how about a hold,” coach Brad Stine encouraged Paul, who responded with a brilliant sliding drop volley, eventually holding at 15 for 4-3.
An energized Paul took a love-30 lead on Hurkacz’s serve for the second straight game. Reading the wide serve, Paul showed slick stick skills sliding a one-handed backhand return down the line for two more break points. Paul pounded the Hurkacz forehand until it broke for a 5-3 lead.
Serving for the semifinal, Paul yanked a forehand wide and netted a sliding backhand pass to face triple break point. A poor Paul dropper sat up, Hurkacz got up to the ball, but gagged slapping a forehand long on the second break point.
A tremendous defensive dig from Paul helped him save a third break point. Ripping a forehand down the line set up a Paul smash denying a fourth break point. Paul saved a fifth break point, then changed to a fresh Yonex stick.
Facing a sixth break point, Paul hit the high kick serve and an assertive forehand to wipe it away.
Locking down, Paul prevailed in a 29-shot rally for match point.
A sprinting Hhurkacz hit a sliding backhand pass down the line that a leaping Paul reached as he fell flat on the seat of his shorts the ball flirted with the top but settled on his side. Shaking it off, Paul earned a second match point that Hurkacz saved with a bounce smash and clenched fist.
The Pole missed a forehand long as Paul gained a third match point, but Hurkacz hit a backhand down the line to draw to a seventh deuce as the game pushed past 14-and-half minutes.
Gaining his fourth match point on a Hurkacz forehand error, Paul closed a gripping game forcing one final error to end a pulsating game and gritty two hour, 43-minute triumph.
"I've had a lot of seasons over here. I got a pretty good training block before coming over here," Paul said. "I'm feeling more comfortable than I probably ever have.
"I actually grew up playing on clay. That was all I played on, even before going to play hard court tournaments. The green clay, not the good stuff.
"I mean, I'm comfortable on it. I'm really enjoying my time on it right now."