“Different parts of the draw have opened up, but not mine”: Paul aims to upset Sinner in US Open

Tommy Paul returned to the fourth round of the US Open for the second consecutive year after defeating Gabriel Diallo 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1, 7-6(3). The world No. 14 had only managed one win and two losses in this hardcourt swing, but he has found his form again.

The American will face world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Round of 16, the tournament's main favorite, especially after the eliminations of Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. "I think the guys who played against Alcaraz and Novak took a step forward and played great,” he commented in the press conference.

Paul agreed with the idea that the players who were at the Olympic Games experienced post-tournament fatigue. In fact, the four semifinalists were already eliminated from the US Open before even reaching the second week of the tournament: “I feel like I went through Olympic fatigue, I guess at the right moment, in Canada and Cincy, but now I feel pretty good. I've recovered a bit. Yes, it's a tough change.

“We had never gone so quickly from grass to clay. I don't want to take anything away from those guys, they earned those victories and played incredible tennis. I'm happy for them. Carlos and Novak have won a lot of tournaments, so I don't feel too bad," confesses the American.

"Tomorrow I play against the world number 1, so I don't know if I'm thinking too much about seizing the moment, but it's definitely an opportunity to play in Arthur Ashe Stadium in the next round, so I'm looking forward to it. Different parts of the draw have opened up, but not mine. I have a tough match ahead, but I'm excited."

Paul will face Sinner this Monday for the fourth time; so far, the Italian leads the head-to-head 2-1, with the last victory being in the semifinals of the 2023 Canadian Open, where Sinner went on to win the title: "We've had great matches. I remember playing against him on clay, I had some match points against him. Then, in the last match, I think it was in Toronto, he played amazing.

“I didn't feel like I did too badly. I'm definitely going to try to make him uncomfortable. From the baseline, I wouldn't say I'm a better ball striker than him, so I have to impose my game on him and try to play my tennis more than his,” Tommy Paul concluded.