Houston, April 5 – Tommy Paul advanced to his first ATP Tour clay-court final after a grueling three-set match, defeating Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship.
Paul won 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(7) in a two-hour, 45-minute match, advancing to his second final of the season and the ninth of his career.
With the victory, Paul ended the second seed's hopes of reaching his fourth consecutive championship match at the ATP 250 event in Houston.
"I played well when I needed to," Paul said. "It was an incredible match against Tiafoe. He is always one of the most entertaining players to watch. I am happy that we got to play that match here."
Paul won the first set 7-5. Tiafoe responded by winning the second set with an early break. Serving at 4-3, his momentum was disrupted by a 90-minute rain delay, but he returned composed, saved a break point and held firm before closing out the set, according to ATP reports.
The third set remained tight throughout. Tiafoe broke early but couldn't maintain his lead, while Paul surged ahead 4-2 only for Tiafoe to claw back to 4-4. Both players refused to yield, sending the match into a tie-break.
Paul led 6/4 in the tie-break before Tiafoe saved two match points to level the score at 6/6. Eventually, the fourth seed stabilized under pressure in the closing exchanges to seal the victory.
Paul will aim to win his first title of the season when he faces Roman Andres Burruchaga in the final.
Earlier, Burruchaga notched a breakthrough semi-final victory, 6-1, 6-1, against his countryman Thiago Agustin Tirante.
With the win, Burruchaga advanced to his first ATP Tour final.