Why Tommy Paul made history with consecutive Rome semi-final appearances

Tommy Paul

Tommy Paul has etched his name in the history books by becoming the first American man to reach back-to-back semi-finals at the Italian Open since Pete Sampras in 1993-94. The 27-year-old continued his impressive run on clay, defeating Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals with a 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory.

Paul showcased his resilience in a tightly contested first set, which saw six breaks of serve before he edged out Hurkacz in the tiebreak. In the second set, he maintained his momentum, securing the win in just under two hours.

Reflecting on his achievement, Paul expressed his comfort playing in Rome, stating, “Every time I come here, I feel at home. The courts match up with my game really well, and I’ve been playing some good tennis this week.”

With this victory, Paul advances to the semi-finals, where he will face the winner of the clash between Jannik Sinner and Casper Ruud. His deep run in the tournament also puts him on the brink of breaking into the ATP Top 10, further solidifying his status as one of the top American players on tour.

As the tournament progresses, Paul’s remarkable consistency on clay continues to turn heads, proving that American tennis remains a force to be reckoned with on the international stage.

Paul in Rome, ranking, and results in 2025

Tommy Paul

33 - 17win/loss

Hard
15-8
I Hard
3-1
Clay
14-5
Grass
1-3
28 year old
LWWLWLLWLL
2025 Highlights

Currently ranked no.12, Tommy has an overall 21-7 match record in 2025. Tommy is now competing in Rome where he managed to beat the world no.56 Roberto Bautista Agut 6-1 6-4, the world no.20 Tomas Machac 6-3 6-7(5) 6-4, the world no.8 Alex De Minaur 7-5 6-3 and the world no.31 Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(4) 6-3.

Tommy Paul will compete against the world no.1 Jannik Sinner in the semifinal on Friday at 8:30 pm on CAMPO CENTRALE. Their record is 3-1 for Sinner.

Paul won 4 titles in his career: 3 on indoor courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)

Paul
Rome
Paul's Record
Paul
Projected
Draw