Tommy Paul put on an impressive display to advance to his third Grand Slam quarter-final, dominating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the Australian Open on Sunday. The 12th-seeded American showcased his superior skills against the 66th-ranked Spaniard in the scorching Melbourne heat, securing a 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 victory on Margaret Court Arena.
The 27-year-old now awaits the winner of the match between second-seeded German Alexander Zverev and French 14th seed Ugo Humbert. Paul has had a good record at the Australian Open, boasting a 15-5 win-loss record across six appearances.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!His career highlight at a major tournament came in Melbourne with his 2023 semi-final appearance, becoming the first American male to achieve this feat since Andy Roddick in 2009.
"I'm always happy to be back in Australia and to be in the quarter-finals again. It's amazing," said Paul, who claimed three titles in 2024. "This court is where I came through to my first quarter-final ever, and now my second one here in Australia on this court. So great memories on this court."
Davidovich Fokina, who had battled through two grueling five-set matches, including a stunning third-round comeback from two sets down, visibly struggled in the opening set. Paul secured an early break and dominated with his first serve, winning 87 percent of those points to take the first set in just 22 minutes.
The Spaniard sought medical attention during the changeover for an apparent right hip issue and was unable to regain his form. Paul raced to a 4-0 lead in the second set with two breaks and maintained his dominance throughout the third set to wrap up the victory in 87 minutes.
"It's not easy to do once and to do it twice in a row," Paul acknowledged, referring to his opponent's previous five-set matches. "I mean, he definitely deserves a round of applause and respect from me, for sure, for staying out here today."
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