Tommy Paul wins maiden ATP title in Stockholm: Key stats
America's Tommy Paul clinched his first ATP title by winning the Stockholm Open on Saturday. He beat third seed Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in the final that ran for two hours and 12 minutes. Notably, Paul became the first American to win this tournament since James Blake lifted his second straight trophy in 2006. Here are the key stats.
Why does it matter?
Ahead of the final, Shapovalov was deemed the front-runner to win the title. He claimed a comfortable win against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the penultimate clash. He was bidding to become the eighth different player to win consecutive Stockholm Open titles, in the tournament's history. However, a reinforced Tommy Paul ended his bid. Paul made a mark in his first-ever ATP final.
Decoding the run of Paul in Stockholm
Paul claimed straight-set wins against Leo Borg and Taylor Fritz in the first two rounds. The American then defeated the former world number one Andy Murray 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals. Paul overcame Frances Tiafoe 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-4 to qualify for his first final on the ATP Tour. The former triumphed in the summit clash against Shapovalov, who was the defending champion.
Paul attains this feat
Paul is the 11th different American to lift the trophy in Stockholm. The other Americans to have done so are Stan Smith, Arthur Ashe, Tom Gorman, Sandy Mayer, John McEnroe, Gene Mayer, Ivan Lendl, Todd Martin, Mardy Fish, and James Blake.
Paul reached the fourth round at Indian Wells
Paul is now 25-23 in the ongoing season. At the 2021 Indian Wells Masters, the American recorded one of the biggest wins of his career. He defeated fourth seed Andrey Rublev to reach the last 16. This was his second win against a Top 10 opponent (Paul also beat Alexander Zverev in Acapulco last year). He lost to Cameron Norrie in the fourth round.
