Connect with us

ATP ATP 250 Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship

Paul rebounds in Houston, saves three championship points to claim River Oaks title

Paul turned Miami heartbreak into a Houston title, saving three championship points to win. A return.

Published

on

Tommy Paul closed a tumultuous seven days with a title at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship, saving three championship points before prevailing over Roman Andres Burruchaga, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5. A week after letting four match points slip away in Miami, Paul was, in his own words, “a week-to-week kind of guy ,” and the result in Houston underlined that reset.

Paul’s week in Houston unfolded from test to vindication. He recovered from an early set deficit to Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, then dispatched Tomas Martin Etcheverry and outlasted Frances Tiafoe, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7), in the semifinals. Tiafoe, who had saved a match point of his own in the quarters, was prescient when he told me on Monday,

You’ve got to have amnesia in this sport to be able to play at a high level. Any week can kind of turn the page to then do something great. Frances Tiafoe on Tommy Paul

“He’s doing fine, he’s a hell of a player—he’s gonna be ready to go for this week.”

Advertisement

In the final, Burruchaga—playing his first ATP Tour final after winning an ATP Challenger Tour final on clay last week in Sao Paolo—had three chances at 3-5. He erred on the first two; Paul saved the third with a composed volley and then broke in the following game to stay alive. Paul described his approach plainly: “I was kind of just, let’s make him play,” Paul said. “Normally on those kind of points, I’m trying to play more aggressive, but I think today, I knew the situation. I knew it was his first final, I wanted to make him win it.

“I wanted to make him play those points. He obviously was looking for an error from me.”

In his winner’s speech Paul first thanked his hosts: Jim and the Flores family. “It’s the best housing ever,” said Paul. The hospitality at River Oaks is a tournament hallmark; Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, Learner Tien, Jackson Withrow and Mackie McDonald all use host families. “It’s something super awesome,” McDonald told me earlier this week. “This is one of the few tournaments in the world now that actually does housing.”

River Oaks leans into tradition: founded in 1931, its wooden grandstands, formal attire and signature drinks give the event an old-school feel. “tradition is what we are,” says tournament director Bronwynn Greer. “That is something that we are already talking about,” she says. “I talked to Brian Shelton and said, save the date! (Ben won the singles title in 2023.) We want to get all of the former champs back.”

Advertisement

See you next time, Houston.

ATP French Open Grand Slam

Sinner reaches 30-match mark with straight-sets Roland Garros opener

Sinner beat Tabur 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 at Roland Garros to reach a 30-match winning streak on tour in 2026.

Published

on

Jannik Sinner opened his Roland Garros campaign with a commanding straight-sets win, defeating French wild card Clement Tabur 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday night. The Italian controlled the match from the outset, producing a confident performance in the tournament’s opening round.

The victory carried broader significance beyond a first-round result. With that triumph Sinner recorded his 30th consecutive tour-level win, becoming just the fourth man this century to reach that milestone. He joins an exclusive group that includes Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

The achievement places Sinner in rare company and underscores the scale of his run of form heading into the middle Grand Slam of the season. The list of long streaks this century remains short; the record of recent seasons shows Carlos Alcaraz’s longest tour-level run to date was 24 straight wins in 2025.

Sinner’s success in the opener was emphatic and efficient. The scoreline reflected a match in which he dictated play, converting the chance to extend a remarkable sequence of victories on the ATP Tour. For Tabur, the match represented an opportunity granted by a wild-card entry and a chance to test himself against one of the game’s form players.

Advertisement

As the tournament progresses, the attention on Sinner will grow not only because of his seeding and results but also because of the rare streak he has built. Reaching 30 consecutive tour wins is a noteworthy achievement in the modern era and marks a defining moment early in his Roland Garros campaign.

Continue Reading

ATP French Open Grand Slam

Moise Kouame Breaks Through at Roland Garros, Channels Djokovic in Win Over Marin Cilic

Kouame, 17 mimicked Djokovic’s ear gesture, steadied himself, and beat Marin Cilic in straight sets.

Published

on

Seventeen-year-old Moise Kouame produced a composed, high-energy performance to beat Marin Cilic 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-1 and record his first victory at a major. The Paris-area native celebrated the first-set tiebreak with a finger-behind-the-ear gesture that referenced his tennis idol, Novak Djokovic, and asked the home crowd for support.

Kouame, coached by Richard Gasquet, turned two near-defeats into momentum swings late in the opening set. Serving at 4-5 and down 15-40, he twice slid to his forehand side to retrieve seemingly lost points and forced errors, then saved the next set point with a calm, aggressive backhand down the line. He later produced a backhand winner at a decisive moment in the tiebreak and closed out the match in straight sets.

Those sliding retrievals and fearless backhand strikes drew direct comparisons to Djokovic’s defensive poise. The win made Kouame the youngest man to win a round at a Slam since 2009, the year he was born. At 6’3, with notable foot speed and racquet-head speed, he was described in the match report as a promising addition to a new crop of ATP contenders that includes Rafael Jodar, Alexander Blockx, and Martin Landaluce.

Off court, Kouame presents a steady temperament uncommon for his age. He calls himself a “really chill guy” and said he enjoys F1 and music. When asked about emulating Djokovic’s ear celebration, he offered a candid demonstration: “When I’m alone and no one’s there, when I do a good thing, I’m like this,” he said with a laugh.

Advertisement

Kouame also did not shy from opinion. “French rap is the best, let me say it,” he declared. Asked how he kept his composure on a big stage, he summed up his approach succinctly. “Training,” he said. “I was well-prepared, the tactics were good. I had my team, and the crowd behind me.”

Continue Reading

ATP French Open Grand Slam

Medvedev admits he knows why Roland Garros has been a problem but keeps it private

Medvedev admits he knows why Roland Garros eludes him but refuses to explain after first-round loss.

Published

on

Daniil Medvedev arrived at Roland Garros with recent clay results that suggested he could trouble the top players, yet Paris again halted his progress. After a semifinal showing at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia this month, where he pushed Jannik Sinner to three sets, Medvedev suffered a five-set defeat to Adam Walton and recorded his seventh opening-round exit in 10 main-draw appearances at the French Open.

The loss felt particularly perplexing: Medvedev led 4-2 in the final set, held multiple break points two games later and served for the match, only to lose the final four games. The defeat also represented his fourth Grand Slam opening-round exit in his last six majors.

When asked for an explanation in his post-match press conference, Medvedev refused to offer one. “I don’t want to find excuses,” he said. “I know why I don’t really play always my best in Roland Garros, but if I say it, it’s excuses. So, I keep it to myself.”

Despite the Paris setback, the former No. 1 and 2021 US Open champion insisted that his capacity to perform on the biggest stages has not vanished. “I do think it can come back any moment, meaning at Wimbledon, for example,” teased Medvedev, who reached back-to-back semifinals at SW19 in 2023 and 2024. “But again, if we talk in general about all four Grand Slams, I think if we compared all four Grand Slams to five years ago, the game is different in these Grand Slams, and I don’t think it suits me well. So, it’s very tough for me to get the rhythm going.

Advertisement

“First round is the toughest one, and once I get through it, maybe I can do better.”

Medvedev’s clay swing showed moments of promise, but Roland Garros remains a recurring stumbling block. He will head into the remainder of the season aware of both his recent clay form and the persistent difficulty he faces in Paris.

Continue Reading

Trending