TENNIS
What does Tommy Paul’s bracket look like at the 2023 French Open? Matches and dates
The 26-year-old American player is looking to get as far as possible in Paris, but who are his potential opponents in the second GS tournament of the year?
Tommy Paul is one of the American hopes at the French Open this year together with Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe and while he possesses an all-around game, clay tournaments remain his biggest challenge.
He suffered two early exits at the beginning of the clay season, as he was eliminated in the very first round in Houston and Madrid by Yannick Hanfmann and Roman Safiulin, respectively.
However, the New Jersey player got to the final in the French challenger of Aix En Provence, where he ultimately lost to Andy Murray in three sets.
After that, he tasted defeat in his debut at the Italian Open to clay specialist Cristian Garin and in the quarterfinals of Lyon to fellow countryman Brandon Nakashima.
Despite facing a tricky opponent in Domonic Stricker in the opening round of the French Open, Paul played one of his best games so far on this surface and defeated the Swiss in three sets.
He will now face a tough test in the second round, as he will play against Nicolas Jarry, who had a solid start to the French Open after winning the trophy in Lyon last weekend.
If he gets past the Chilean, he will face either Jiri Lehecka or Marcos Giron. But one of the most feared players in the tournament, Casper Ruud, could meet him in the Round of 16.
However, Ruud is not the only big favorite in this part of the draw, as the American could end up facing the likes of Alexander Zverev, Jannik Sinner, or even Tiafoe.
The truth is that Paul will have to deal with difficult opponents, but in five-set games, the American could have a chance to pull off the upset in such a big tournament, and from then on, even if being the underdog, anything is possible.