ATP Tour

Paul wins final-set tie-break to claim Dallas thriller

Former Nexo Dallas Open champion Tommy Paul was pushed to the brink in his opener on Wednesday, but he found a way past the 2022 finalist Jenson Brooksby to reach the second round at the ATP 500.

In a two-hour, 25-minute battle, Paul overcame American countryman Brooksby 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(4). The fifth seed struck 18 winners off his forehand and was impressive behind his first serve in the third set, winning 21 of 23 points.

"I feel like he can put the ball all over the court and can make you move around so much," Paul said. "I like to feel that I move well, so I make it tough for him to end points. I was holding a lot easier than I normally do against Jenson and the first set and a half was way quicker than normal, so it was a little bit different. I was happy to get through it."

Paul, who reached the fourth round at the Australian Open last month, lifted the trophy at the tournament in 2024 when it was still an ATP 250, before he enjoyed a semi-final run last season. The 28-year-old leads Brooksby 3-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series and will next meet Miomir Kecmanovic.

American Ethan Quinn defeated wild card Trevor Svajda 7-6(3), 7-5 to reach the second round in Dallas. Quinn advanced to the third round at the Australian Open last month and earned a dramatic win in the first round of the Davis Cup Qualifiers on clay on Saturday against Hungary's Fabian Marozsan. Paul also recorded a victory in the same tie for the United States in Hungary.

Playing with confidence, the No. 74 player in the PIF ATP Rankings rallied from a break down in the first set and won 87 per cent (41/47) of his first-serve points against Svajda, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to triumph after one hour and 47 minutes. Quinn will play Marin Cilic in the second round. The Croatian claimed his 600th tour-level victory on Tuesday.