American Tommy Paul put on an utterly dominant display in his fourth round clash against Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the Australian Open, demolishing his opponent 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 to breeze into the quarterfinals. The 25-year-old from New Jersey needed just 1 hour and 30 minutes to dismantle Davidovich Fokina, who came into the match having staged epic comebacks in his previous two encounters.
But there would be no such heroics today for the physically diminished Spaniard, as the 12th-seeded Paul came out all guns blazing. The American won nearly twice as many points as his 66th-ranked opponent, claiming a whopping 85 points to Davidovich Fokina’s mere 43. Paul was utterly relentless, giving his adversary no chance to find his footing in the match.
A Comprehensive Demolition Job
From the very first game, Paul imposed his will on the match, breaking Davidovich Fokina immediately and racing out to a quick 3-0 lead. The Spaniard, who had spent over 10 hours on court in his last two matches, looked a step slow and unable to match Paul’s intensity.
The American barely put a foot wrong, hitting cleanly off both wings and remaining solid on serve throughout. He reeled off nine straight games from 1-1 in the first set to take complete control, as Davidovich Fokina struggled to win points, let alone games. In the end, Paul dropped just three games in total, wrapping up an incredibly one-sided victory to continue his strong run in Melbourne.
“What he did is unreal the past couple matches…To do it twice in a row is amazing. I’m really happy I was able to get it done in straight sets.”
– Tommy Paul on Davidovich Fokina’s previous comebacks
Paul Leads American Charge
With the win, Tommy Paul has now reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open for the first time in his career, matching his best ever performance at a Grand Slam. The 12th seed previously made the final eight at Wimbledon in 2021.
Paul is one of four American men to reach the fourth round in Melbourne this year, along with:
- Sebastian Korda
- Jeffrey John Wolf
- Ben Shelton
No other country has more than two representatives in the men’s round of 16. It’s a hugely encouraging sign for fans of American tennis, with the potential for multiple players to make deep runs at the first Slam of the year.
Looking Ahead to the Quarterfinals
Next up for the red-hot Paul is a quarterfinal clash with the winner of the match between Roberto Bautista Agut and Andy Murray. The Spaniard is seeded 22nd, while Murray is unseeded but has vast experience at this stage of Slams.
Regardless of who he faces, Paul will head into that match brimming with confidence after such a commanding performance against Davidovich Fokina. If the American can maintain this level, he has an outstanding opportunity to match or even surpass his run to the semifinals in Melbourne two years ago and continue his ascent up the ATP rankings.
One thing is for certain – with Tommy Paul leading the charge and several of his compatriots also going deep, these are exciting times for American men’s tennis at the Australian Open. The 25-year-old’s demolition job on Davidovich Fokina was a signal of intent, and he’ll look to ride this momentum as far as he can in the tournament.
