BNP Paribas Open: American Tommy Paul takes down top-10 player to advance to Round of 16
American Tommy Paul has shown a knack for beating top-10 players in Indian Wells. He defeated No. 3 Sasha Zverev last year, No. 4 Andrey Rublev in 2021 and on Monday he did it again, rallying to beat No. 9 Hubert Hurkacz 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 to move into the Round of 16 at the BNP Paribas Open.
In those previous wins, Paul was an unseeded player pulling off an upset. Thanks to some fantastic play in the last year, including a semifinal run at the Australia Open in January, Paul has climbed to his personal best No. 18 in the world. He is the No. 17 seed here, the first time he's been a seeded player at Indian Wells.
Paul showed a lot of fight in Monday's win, shaking off a first-set loss against one of the more talented players in the world.
It was an epic game late in the third set that showed his toughness. Paul led 4-3 and was trying to hold serve, but Hurkacz, who has six career titles including the 2021 Miami Open, jumped out to a 40-15 lead. But Paul battled back, got it to deuce and then after multiple back-and-forths, saves and clutch serves, Paul was able to hold serve to keep his lead at 5-3. Two games later, he was pumping his fist in victory in front of a loud and packed Stadium 2.
“The first set I felt a little flat. I don’t think either of us played very well. There were three breaks of serve," Paul told the Tennis Channel after his win. "The conditions were not what I expected. It was super gritty, slow. We always know that, but even more so on that court. The ball was actually flying off the strings and slowing down. It was weird.”
Paul said he regrouped in the break between the first set and second set and changed his mindset.
"(I) said 'C'mon man, turn it up,' and came out with a lot more energy in the second set," Paul said. "I played my game plan really well and was happy with how it went."
Paul, the 25-year-old who also made the Round of 16 here in 2021, will bid for his first quarterfinal in the desert by facing another top-10 opponent. Paul matches up against Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in the next round. Aliassime beat Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-4 on Monday.
The two haven't faced each other as pros, but Paul said they did meet as juniors and he was able to pull out the win.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas Open: Tommy Paul ousts Hubert Hurkacz in Indian Wells
