Almost two hours after his first match level, Tommy Paul overcame longtime pal Taylor Fritz in some of the dramatic matches of the 2023 season Friday night time in Acapulco. Paul’s 6-3, 6-7(2), 7-6(2) victory had a little bit of all the things, the three-hour, 25-minute odyssey setting the document for longest match within the 30-year historical past of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.

“I could not be happier,” Paul mentioned after clinching the semi-final victory on his fourth match level. “Clearly trying ahead to creating the physique really feel a bit of higher tomorrow. The aim for this 12 months was to get the rating up and get extra trophies. I solely have one trophy on Tour between singles and doubles.

“You do not get trophies until your within the ultimate, and hopefully I can play one other good match tomorrow and get the winner’s trophy.”

After letting a match level slip on serve at 5-4 within the second set, lacking a deep overhead off the bounce, Paul wanted a comeback of his personal, trailing 0-2 and 1-3 within the third. In a battle of attrition, each males saved break factors of their ultimate service video games — Fritz erasing two match factors at 5-6 — earlier than Paul closed it out after taking a 5/0 lead within the ultimate tie-break.

“You must [dig deep]. It is by no means going to be simple in opposition to Fritz, he is unreal,” Paul added. “He would not provide you with any factors all through the entire match, you’re feeling like it’s a must to work for all the things.

“Clearly he bought up a break within the third there and it was bizarre, I began feeling my physique a bit of bit and performing some bizarre serves, and I do not know if he liked it. After which I feel one thing occurred along with his abdomen too. I feel I bought a bit of fortunate there that we had been each struggling, not simply me.”

Simply over one month since his breakout run to the Australian Open semi-finals, the seventh-seeded Paul superior the most important ultimate of his blossoming profession, his first on the ATP 500 stage. The 25-year-old gained his lone earlier title match in 2021 on the Stockholm ATP 250.

Third seed Fritz noticed his seven-match win streak come to a detailed, a run that dated again to his Delray Seashore title run.

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