Paul edges Hurkacz in topsy-turvy Rome QF test

Tommy Paul booked a semi-final spot at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia on Thursday by pulling through a see-saw clash with Hubert Hurkacz in Rome.

The 14th-seeded Paul downed Hurkacz 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 in the Italian capital in a match featuring 13 breaks of serve. The American, who in the second set held a break point to secure a set-and-double-break lead, kept his composure in a nerve-wracking decider for a two-hour, 43-minute victory.

“I started off pretty well, but things really got away from me there in the second set, and at the beginning of the third,” said Paul. “I just had to stick around, fake a little energy to get myself going there in the third. I started looking for my forehand more, started hitting it bigger, and playing with a little bit more intensity. That was probably the key for me in the end.”

A cause for double celebration! 🎉🎉

Congratulations on your 1⃣5⃣0⃣th tour-level win and reaching a third Masters 1000 semi-final, @TommyPaul1 ✨@InteBNLdItalia | #IBI24 pic.twitter.com/TYupH8aanc

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 16, 2024

Having downed 2023 Rome champion Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round, Thursday’s win marked the first time in his career that Paul has won two consecutive matches against Top 10 opponents in the PIF ATP Rankings. He will take on sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or 21st seed Nicolas Jarry on Friday, when he aims to become the first American finalist in Rome since Andre Agassi in 2002.

Paul trailed 0-2 early in the third set against Hurkacz but eventually closed out his 150th tour-level win by clinching a suitably dramatic service game. The American fended off six break points before letting slip three match points of his own. On his fourth, Hurkacz pushed a forehand long and Paul could finally celebrate reaching his third ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, and his first on clay.

Paul converted seven of 13 break points in the match, according to Infosys ATP Stats, while Hurkacz converted six from 18 in the same category. The American was delighted with the way he had countered Hurkacz’s serve, renowned as one of the biggest weapons on Tour, to secure a 2-1 lead in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“My game plan coming in was, ‘I’ve got to get into as many of his service games as possible’, to try and get a couple of breaks,” said Paul. “From that aspect I did very well today, but in my next match I’m probably going to focus on holding serve a little bit more!”

Both Paul’s coach Brad Stine and Hurkacz’s coach Craig Boynton were vocal from the stands as they tried to help their respective charges to victory at the Foro Italico. Paul was grateful to Stine for helping him realise quickly that playing Hurkacz required a different approach to the one he had deployed against Medvedev.

“The court position is a big thing,” said Paul. “I can play aggressive from the back of the court. I think that’s kind of what [Stine] wants me to do. Sometimes when I want to play aggressive, I get ahead of myself and get too close to the baseline.

“The last match I played I was on offence a lot, so I guess I kind of came out thinking it was going to be the same. Obviously with Hubi, he can crush the ball, so I had to give a little bit of ground there in the end.”

Rollercoaster Returning 🎢🎾@TommyPaul1 was able to break Hurkacz 7 times* during a 3 set epic in @InteBNLdItalia 🔥

His Return #ShotQuality varied set by set but a decent performance in Set 1 (3 breaks) and Set 3 (3 breaks) allowed him to get through the match on top 📈

*On… pic.twitter.com/MUhLCAE1XS

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) May 16, 2024

Paul, who is the third active American man to reach 150 tour-level wins after Taylor Fritz (253) and Frances Tiafoe (187), is up two spots to No. 14 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings as a result of his run in Rome so far. The 26-year-old could rise back to his career-high of No. 12 and replace Fritz as the No. 1-ranked American by lifting the trophy in Rome.