Tommy Paul repelled seven match points across two sets played on two different days to earn a remarkable second-round triumph on Wednesday at the Bitpanda Hamburg Open.
The No. 26 player in the PIF ATP Rankings overcame Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-6(7) to earn his quarter-final spot at the clay ATP 500. Paul had saved the first two match points at 5-6 in the second set on Tuesday evening in Hamburg before play was suspended due to darkness at one set all. Upon returning to court Wednesday, the American fended off four more match points at 5-6 in the third set, and then a seventh at 6/7 in the deciding tie-break.
“It was crazy,” Paul said. “I would say yesterday, in some ways, [the match points were] harder because he was serving. But in some ways today was more difficult also because we had some more back and forth in those points. He had a couple of looks at second serves, and I serve and volleyed on them, which was interesting. Overall, a nerve-wracking match, but I feel like I stuck to my gameplan pretty well.”
It is not the first time that the 28-year-old Paul has come up clutch on clay in 2026 — in April, the American saved three championship points to down another Argentine, Roman Andres Burruchaga, and claim the ATP 250 title in Houston. Against Etcheverry, he saved 10 of 15 break points he faced overall, according to Infosys ATP Stats, while he also converted all five break points he earned himself.
“It’s funny, looking back on it now, I played a much different match today than I did yesterday,” Paul said when asked if his gameplan had changed overnight. “But in the in-between time, we actually didn’t plan on that. We were like, ‘Okay, we can probably get to the net a little bit more', but then after I got broken early in the third set, I felt the court softened up… I didn’t want the ball to bounce anymore so I started serve and volleying throughout the third.”
Paul, who is competing as the sixth seed this week in Hamburg, will take on home favourite Daniel Altmaier for a semi-final berth in northern Germany. It will be only the pair’s second Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, after Paul prevailed in three sets when the pair met on the hard courts of Tokyo in 2023.
Alex de Minaur also pulled through a tough three-setter to seal his quarter-final spot. The third seed overcame Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 under the Am Rothenbaum roof as rain fell outside.
“The first set was close to some of the best stuff I’ve played in a while. I was proud of myself. It was never going to be easy. It’s raining outside, it’s super slow and super humid. We’re both very good movers, so it was going to be a very physical match, and I’m glad I stuck through and managed to find another gear in the third.”
De Minaur arrived in Hamburg on a three-match losing streak but will on Thursday take on seventh seed Luciano Darderi, who beat home favourite Yannick Hanfmann 7-6(7), 7-5, in his fourth tour-level quarter-final of the season.
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