Tommy Paul was relentless in the semi-final against three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open. The speedy American won an entertaining match with a score of 6-3 6-2.
With today’s victory, Tommy Paul is now the only player to have reached the final in two indoor ATP tournaments this year. The 27-year-old from New Jersey performed well throughout the season, and now has a great chance to break into the world's top 10 for the first time.
Paul saved all three break points in his match against Wawrinka. The semifinal was captivating, featuring both high balls and long rallies. In the second set, Wawrinka hit such a well-crafted angled backhand volley that Paul ran into the umpire’s chair in his successful attempt to reach the ball.
“It was a fun match to play with many long games in both sets. I think one of my service games lasted over 10 minutes. I managed to play well on the important points today,” Tommy Paul commented at the press conference.
In the doubles tournament, Czech pair Petr Nouza and Patrik Rikl progressed steadily. In Saturday’s semifinal, they defeated the second-seeded duo Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski: 6-4, 6-4.
“It feels fantastic right now. We played so well, and we didn’t expect such a big crowd. None of us has played in an ATP final before,” Petr Nouza shared enthusiastically after their success.
Saturday’s evening session starts at 6PM with the semifinal match between world number ten Grigor Dimitrov, and in-form Tallon Griekspoor. After a short break, Griekspoor will be back on the court, this time in doubles alongside Bart Stevens against the top-seeded duo of Harri Heliövaara and Henry Patten.