Paul saves set points in both sets of dramatic Fonseca win, Draper also advances

Tommy Paul's clutch performance at the Mutua Madrid Open earned him a hard-fought opening victory Saturday night against fan favourite Joao Fonseca. In a 7-6(7), 7-6(3) result, the American found his best tennis at the close of both sets to deny the popular Brazilian and his many fans in Manolo Santana Stadium.

Playing his second clay event of the season (Houston semi-finals) and his first European clay event since he reached the quarter-finals at the Paris Olympics last July, Paul fended off two Fonseca set points at 4/6 in the opening tie-break and another two serving at 4-5 in the second set. While Fonseca's firepower put him firmly in the ascendancy as he battled back from 1-3 in the second set, Paul steadied at the crucial moment to respond late in the set.

"I thought the level was awesome from the jump. He really had me on my toes," Paul said. "He was in every single one of my service games in the first set and he was pushing the pressure in the match very well. I was happy to get through those service games. My serve bailed me out quite a bit in the first set."

A lovely touch from Tommy Paul 🖌️@MutuaMadridOpen | #MMOpen pic.twitter.com/cFQDpt4Xva

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Paul fought off six break points early in the opening set and won five of the final six points in the tie-break to lead, taking advantage of an untimely string of errors from Fonseca. In set two, the Brazilian began to dominate with his forehand and broke for the first time on his ninth break chance, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to level at 3-3. But Paul rediscovered his top form after escaping his 4-5 service game and was the far steadier player in the second tie-break.

Paul moved back into the Top 10 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings with the win and improved to 12-0 this season after winning the opening set. He hit nine aces and saved 10 of 11 break points in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Fonseca. The American will next face 24th seed Karen Khachanov, who did not face a break point in a 7-6(3), 7-6(4) victory against Reilly Opelka.

Fonseca was stopped short in his bid to become the second-youngest man to reach the third round in Madrid history, after Jakub Mensik advanced to that stage last year at the age of 18 years and seven months.

"He hits the ball very hard. You've got to run down a lot of balls," added Paul, who felt his movement was strong serving keyed the win. "I was serve-and-volleying at smart times and using up the whole court. He's an awesome player, he's fun to play against, so I'm sure we'll see a lot more of him."

Jack Draper also advanced on Saturday evening with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Tallon Griekspoor. The Briton entered Madrid at a career-high PIF ATP Ranking of No. 6 and now stands just 290 points behind No. 5 Novak Djokovic in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. Draper could pass the Serbian by reaching the semi-finals.

The 23-year-old hit five aces and saved the only break point he faced against Griekspoor to earn his first Top 40 win on clay since he beat Miomir Kecmanovic last May in Lyon. Draper also improved to 19-2 against players ranked outside the Top 10 since October.

Draper will next face Matteo Berrettini for the third time in less than a year, but for the first time on clay. He leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head 2-0 with three-set wins in the 2024 Stuttgart final (grass) and in this year's Doha quarters (hard).