Tommy Paul did not skip the scouting report on Alexei Popyrin ahead of their round-of-16 clash at Roland-Garros.
There is a fear factor about Popyrin’s serve and forehand – quite often as a one-two punch – but the game plan to beat the Australian typically revolves around peppering his weaker backhand as much as possible and exposing his movement.
The American 12th seed executed that strategy to perfection on Sunday to rout Popyrin 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 inside two hours and emphatically end his 25-year-old rival’s hope of making a maiden grand slam quarter-final.
Alexei Popyrin returns the ball to Tommy Paul during their fourth round match.Credit: AP
It was a disappointing finish for Popyrin, who was aiming to go one match further than his fourth-round appearance at last year’s US Open, where he ousted Novak Djokovic before losing to Frances Tiafoe.
For Paul, his first quarter-final on Parisian clay goes along with his 2023 semi-final and 2025 quarter-final at the Australian Open, as well as last year’s Wimbledon quarter-final. He also reached the last 16 at the past two US Opens, and this latest win sees him leapfrog Alex de Minaur in the live rankings.
Tommy Paul proved too good for Alexei Popyrin in Paris.Credit: Getty Images
De Minaur – a surprise second-round loser to Alex Bublik – sits 10th in those rankings, with Ben Shelton, Andrey Rublev and Tiafoe all able to pass him, too, if they can advance deeper into the claycourt grand slam.
There were no signs of the abdominal strain that plagued Paul in the earlier rounds, or any potential lingering fatigue from his five-set victory over Karen Khachanov two days ago.
In reality, 25th-seeded Popyrin, who had lost six consecutive matches at Roland-Garros before this career-best run in the French capital, was unable to place enough pressure on the American to find out.
Popyrin ruefully converted just one of 10 break points, including failing to break back from 0-40 as Paul served for the opening set. The American also escaped from 15-40 in both the fourth and sixth games of the second set, adding insult to injury after Popyrin handed over an immediate break in the set.
Most Popyrin break points looked eerily familiar: Paul often landed a first serve, then gradually created, and capitalised on, an opening in the court as Popyrin continued to lean towards his forehand side.
On others, he would inevitably commit a backhand error after an extended exchange or being cramped by Paul, or go for too much on a forehand.
Part of the issue for the last Australian man standing was the heavier claycourt on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, which he had not played on this fortnight until now.
“It’s so slow,” a frustrated Popyrin bellowed after blasting a forehand into the net on his third break point in a row at 3-5 in the first set.
Popyrin struck 24 winners in barely two sets before Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka retired in the first round; pounded 37 in a straight-sets victory over Chilean Alejandro Tabilo; then 51 in a tight three-setter against Portugal’s Nuno Borges in the third round.
Against Paul, that number was only 18, to go with 37 unforced errors. Paul’s ratio was 27:22.
The situation became particularly perilous in the second set, when it incredibly took until the penultimate point for Popyrin to hit his second winner.
It was a stark contrast to the way Popyrin started the match, breaking Paul for the only time in the opening game with some bombastic forehands. He gave the advantage straight back and spent the rest of the contest playing catch-up.
Popyrin, who mostly returned Paul’s serve from metres behind the baseline, belatedly tried to maintain a more aggressive court position after going down a break in the third set – but it made little difference.
This was still a breakthrough tournament for Popyrin, who is set to rise to a career-high ranking of No.21.
Popyrin and Daria Kasatkina, who switched allegiances from Russia in March, were the first Australian man and woman to make the fourth round at Roland-Garros in the same year since Pat Cash and eventual semi-finalist Nicole Bradtke (née Provis) in 1988.
Kasatkina will try to continue her title assault when she faces Russian teenage phenom and No.6 seed Mirra Andreeva on Monday night (AEST).
Popyrin last year not only made the fourth round at the US Open, but joined Lleyton Hewitt, Mark Philippoussis and Pat Rafter as the only Australian men to capture a Masters 1000 title when he triumphed in Montreal.
He had struggled through a lean first half of this year before the claycourt season, including losing his first four matches and seven of his opening nine.
Popyrin’s former Belgian co-coach Xavier Malisse split with him at Indian Wells, but the Australian shook that off to progress to the Monte-Carlo Masters quarter-finals a month later to supercharge his season.
Wayne Ferreira has joined fellow South African Neville Godwin in Popyrin’s team as they try to unlock the rest of his potential. Ferreira has tweaked the grip on Popyrin’s backhand after previously having success coaching the likes of Tiafoe and Jack Draper.
Popyrin will need to maintain his form from the red dirt as the tour switches to grass, then hardcourt, if he is to avoid a rankings slide because he is defending about half his points in the second half of the year.
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