Tommy Paul and His Family Experience a Smooth Journey at the U.S. Open, Marking Another Victory

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In his youth, Tommy Paul, originally from Greenville, North Carolina, and his family would make the nearly 500-mile journey to New York a week prior to the U.S. Open. They took advantage of the free admission to the qualifying rounds and enjoyed watching professionals practice. Yet, these family excursions were not without mishaps. On separate occasions, they encountered emergencies that required visits to the on-site hospital—his sister suffered a venomous spider bite, and his mother fainted and sustained a head injury after witnessing a player’s serious accident.

“Every single year, it seemed something disastrous would occur,” recounted Paul.

In stark contrast, the current visit to Flushing Meadows has proven uneventful in terms of calamities for Paul and indeed for other male American tennis players. The 26-year-old, seeded 14th, secured his inaugural entry into the U.S. Open’s fourth round. He achieved this by hitting 15 aces and only being broken once in a 6-1, 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 triumph over Spain’s 21st seed, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, in the Arthur Ashe Stadium last Friday.

“Finding myself scheduled to play in Ashe came as a surprise,” admitted Paul, who had never before played in the stadium that seats 23,000. “I hope this is just the beginning of many more appearances here.”

Paul’s prospects look promising, especially as he’s among a cadre of American male players in their 20s who are making strides on the tennis circuit. This group of emerging talent is in focus particularly at this hard-court tournament, a stage where no American male has clinched a major championship in the last two decades.

“Many of these players have trained together, know each other’s strategies intimately, and view each other as equals,” said U.S. Davis Cup captain Bob Bryan. “When one starts making progress, it fosters collective belief.”

In the quarterfinals, Paul is slated to face Ben Shelton, an unseeded 20-year-old from Florida. Shelton secured his spot by defeating Aslan Karatsev of Russia in a match that saw him serve 26 aces.

Other Americans in the fourth round include Frances Tiafoe, the 25-year-old Maryland native and 10th seed, who defeated France’s 22nd seed, Adrian Mannarino. Tiafoe had reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at last year’s U.S. Open and remains the only American male to make it to the fourth round in New York four years in a row since Andre Agassi from 2002 to 2005.

Looking ahead, Taylor Fritz, the 9th seed, was scheduled to face Czech qualifier Jakub Mensik, while wild-card entry Michael Mmoh plays his match on Saturday.

As for the rest of the U.S. Open schedule, the night matches featured Coco Gauff versus Elise Mertens, followed by Novak Djokovic against Laslo Djere. In women’s tennis, defending champion Iga Swiatek defeated her close friend Kaja Juvan, while Caroline Wozniacki and Karolina Muchova also advanced.

Before this year’s tournament, Paul had not won a single match at the U.S. Open, but this year seems to be different. “Frances Tiafoe is my go-to player to watch,” said Paul, “seeing his success not only boosts his confidence but also fortifies our belief that we too can perform at such a high level.”

Indeed, the competition among the American men remains friendly and constructive. “There’s a supportive rivalry among us,” said Paul. “We motivate each other, be it through results or during practice sessions.”

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• American Men in Tennis: A History
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