Paul proved it right from the start of his run at River Oaks Country Club. Relative unknown Adolfo Daniel Vallejo put him in an early one-set hole before the American dug himself out, slide by slide, shot by shot. He then comprehensively ousted the talented Tomas Martin Etcheverry, then outlasted friend—and, in this case, foe—Frances Tiafoe, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7), in the semis.
Tiafoe, who himself saved a match point in victory in the quarterfinals against Alexei Popyrin, was prescient when he told me on Monday,
You’ve got to have amnesia in this sport to be able to play at a high level. Any week can kind of turn the page to then do something great. Frances Tiafoe on Tommy Paul
“He’s doing fine, he’s a hell of a player—he’s gonna be ready to go for this week.”
Never more so than in the final, facing championship points. All three came with Paul serving at 3-5. Burruchaga, a 24-year-old who was playing his first ATP Tour final, erred on his first two opportunities, and Paul negated the third with a calm volley at net.
“I was kind of just, let’s make him play,” Paul told Tennis Channel afterward. “Normally on those kind of points, I’m trying to play more aggressive, but I think today, I knew the situation. I knew it was his first final, I wanted to make him win it.
“I wanted to make him play those points. He obviously was looking for an error from me.”
