American tennis star Tommy Paul is slowly becoming a more recognizable name within the tennis fraternity. While Tommy does not have many titles to boast about, he is a dangerous player. Paul is slowly starting to come into his own now. His skills and mental strength were on display when he clashed with Hubert Hurkacz at the Indian Wells.
Tommy Paul, who was seeded 17, caused an upset as he defeated the ninth-seeded Hurkacz. He won the match in three sets, defeating Hubert 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. Tommy has a bit of a history of defeating top-seeded players at this event. Last year he defeated Alexander Zverev, and Andrey Rublev the year before.
This time the 25-year-old staged a remarkable comeback against Hurkacz. The Polish player had won the opening set but Paul fought hard to win the second.
14-4 in 2023 for Tommy 💥💥💥
Tommy Paul fights back to beat Hubert Hurkacz 4-6 6-2 6-4 and to reach the Indian Wells Masters R4
Great, great stuff…up to #4 in the live race 👏🏼👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/kctcjYuoP0
— Mario Boccardi (@marioboc17) March 13, 2023
The conditions were not what either player had expected and the first set had felt flat. Later, Paul opened up about what he did to motivate himself to win the match. “I just went to the bathroom after the first set and slapped myself around and said to myself, ‘Come on, man, turn it up,’ and then came out and played with a lot more energy in the second set.” said Tommy (via Tennis-Infinity).
He described how the ball was coming off the racket and slowed down. But in the end, Tommy was very happy that his game plan worked.
Tommy Paul has a growing reputation for his resurgence. This quality was obviously highlighted during his match against Hubert. But in a general sense too, Tommy’s story is one of comebacks.
The resurgence of Tommy Paul
The American player’s performances tend to fly under the radar, unfortunately. But Tommy is slowly changing that. Widely regarded as one of the most talented American players in recent times, Paul is proving the statement to be correct.
Tommy, while very skilled, had a knack for throwing away matches or playing sloppily. But he has matured as a player. Paul has been consistent this year, reaching the quarterfinals of many tournaments.
He also made his maiden Grand Slam semifinal run this year. His feat resulted in him being the first man since Andy Roddick to make it to the semifinal of the Australian Open.
The last time Paul made a semifinal appearance, it came at a 250-level event in Delray Beach. He also made his maiden ATP 500 final in Acapulco this year. Paul, unfortunately, lost to Alex de Minaur.
He recently knocked world number one Carlos Alcaraz out of the Canadian Open. In doing so, he made his way to the semifinal in Toronto. However. Alcaraz took his revenge in Cincinnati Masters.
Tommy is regarded as one of the leading players to lead the revival of American men’s tennis. The young player has a long journey ahead of him. But hopefully, he can maintain this consistency in the years to come.