Cnn
–
Tommy Paul has become the first American man since Andre Agassi in 2003 to reach the quarter -finals of the Open of France After defeating Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday.
Shortly after, he was joined by Countryman Frances Tiafoe, who sent Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on the clay at Roland Garros.
American tennis fans were deprived of a trio of American men in the last eight of the tournament after Ben Shelton was rebounded by the seeded n ° 2 and the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Paul, 28, took a trembling start when his service was broken during the very first match against Australian Popyrine, but he recovered well, breaking instantly before breaking later in the set to take a 5-3 lead.
Popyrin had the ideal chance to get back on the right track when he went 0-40 in the next match, only for Paul to win three points in a row, then take the set at the third moment of the request.
“You must say that you are still supposed to hold,” said Paul in the court after the match. “Even if you are down 0 to 40, you can return and hold your advantage to each of these points.
From that moment, Paul had too much for Popyrin, brittle him twice in the second set and once in the third to complete a victory ultimately comfortable. After each of his last two games – against Karen Khachanov and Márton Fucsovics – went to five sets, Paul was happy that he could rest.
“Feel fairly well,” he said. “Obviously, it helps a lot when you play in less than two hours, in a three set out of five set. You like to start the tournament like that, get some victories in straight sets, but get one today was special for me.”
Later Sunday, Tiafoe followed Paul’s advance with a direct sets to hit his ticket in the quarterfinals.
Tiafoe crossed the first two sets before running in a certain adversity in the third in the hands of Altmaier. The German has twice broke the 27-year-old Maryland native service to take a 5-2 lead.
But Tiafoe refused to quietly switch to a fourth set and rather fought for Carré le Set at 5-5. After each player subsequently held it to do so 6-6, Tiafoe prevailed 7-4 in equality.
Then Paul drew the little enviable task to face Alcaraz in the quarter -final while Tiafoe awaits the winner of the Sunday match between Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune.
No American man has progressed beyond the quarter-finals in Roland Garros since Agassi raised the coupe of the musketeers in 1999.
There was more American success on Saturday, this time in the female draw, while Coco Gauff defeated Marie Bouzková 6-1, 7-6 (3) to go to the fourth round.
Her match against Ekaterina Alexandrova will be her seventh consecutive fourth round game in a big slam, making her the youngest American to reach this stage since Venus Williams in 1999.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic recorded his 99th victory at Roland Garros while he was heading for a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory against the Filip Misolic qualification on Saturday evening in Paris.
The winner of the Grand Chelem 24 times was completely dominant, faced with a single breakout point.
Like Djokovic, the world n ° 1 Jannik Sinner also crossed his third round match, only taking 94 minutes to defeat Jiří Lehečka 6-0, 6-1, 6-2.
