Thrilling Battle at the US Open
At the US Open in New York, Tommy Paul and Nuno Borges engaged in a thrilling battle that stretched well into the early hours of Friday, marking one of the tournament’s latest finishes ever. This intense encounter, concluding at 1:46 a.m., is now recorded as the second-latest completion in the history of the US Open’s second round.
“I was definitely happy that it was with the win and not a loss. It was a blast. It was an emotional roller coaster, for sure.” – Tommy Paul
Match Highlights
The match, which lasted an impressive 4 hours and 25 minutes, saw Paul initially take a strong lead by winning the first two sets. However, Borges, a 28-year-old talent from Portugal, fought back, snatching the third and fourth sets, and pushing the final set to a tense moment after Paul was up 3-0. In the end, it was Paul’s resilience that shone through; he seized a critical break to clinch the match with a nail-biting score of 7-6 (6), 6-3, 5-7, 5-7, 7-5.
“I was all twisted around when I hit the last shot. I didn’t even know if he made it or not.” – Tommy Paul
Looking Ahead
After the match, he took a moment to appreciate the remaining fans who supported him throughout the late-night clash, suggesting that the venue could be improved by allowing more fans closer to the action. As for his next challenge, Paul is set to face the 23rd seed Alexander Bublik in the third round. He shared his enthusiasm:
“It’s fun. We’ll be ready for the next one. Totally. It’s what we train for.” – Tommy Paul
Other Notable Matches
Friday’s late-night contest was not an isolated event; the tournament has already seen dramatic matches this year, notably with Daniil Medvedev’s unexpected defeat against Benjamin Bonzi that occurred earlier in the week. In other notable developments from men’s singles, top seeds Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, and Alex De Minaur advanced smoothly into the third round, each securing victories in straight sets:
- Sinner dominated Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
- Zverev overcame Jacob Fearnley 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
- De Minaur dispatched Shintaro Mochizuki 6-2, 6-4, 6-2
A shocker of the day came when ninth-seeded Karen Khachanov, who appeared to have an easy match, was dramatically overturned by Kamil Majchrzak, who rallied to a stunning victory, sealing the match 2-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (5).
