Houston : Tommy Paul rallied to defeat fellow American Frances Tiafoe 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(7) in an all-American semi-final at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston on Saturday.
The fourth seed secured his first ATP clay-court final after a gruelling two-hour, 45-minute contest disrupted by rain, including a 90-minute delay in the second set. Paul fired 14 aces without a double fault and converted two of five break-point chances in the deciding set.
The final set swung both ways, with each player trading breaks. In the tiebreak, Paul missed two match points at 6-4 but recovered to win consecutive points and seal victory after a 7-7 deadlock.
In the other semi-final, Roman Andres Burruchaga cruised past Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-1, 6-1 to set up a final against Paul, converting five of eight break points while not facing a single one. Tirante committed 25 unforced errors compared to Burruchaga’s 10.
At the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech, Marco Trungelliti continued his remarkable run by defeating top seed Luciano Darderi 6-4, 7-6(2).
The 36-year-old qualifier became the oldest first-time ATP finalist and has beaten the fifth, third and first seeds en route to the final. He converted four of six break points and capitalised on Darderi’s eight double faults.
Spain’s Rafael Jodar will face Trungelliti in the final after defeating Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-2, 6-1 in just 63 minutes. The 19-year-old, playing his first tour-level clay event, is also chasing his maiden ATP title.
At the Tiriac Open in Bucharest, Spain’s Daniel Merida Aguilar came from a set down to beat third seed Fabian Marozsan 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-1 and reach his first tour-level final.
Argentina’s Mariano Navone also advanced after saving two match points to defeat Botic van de Zandschulp 5-7, 7-6(3), 7-5. Navone will also be aiming for his first ATP title after finishing runner-up in Bucharest in 2024.
