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Tommy Paul had to perform a perfect match to beat Arthur Fils, a 19 year old who is emerging from game to game and who will surely reach great heights soon. At the Shanghai Rolex Masters the match finished 6-4 6-7 (7) 6-4 for the American tennis player after a battle of almost three hours.
In the press conference Paul, who will face Andrey Rublev in the round of 16, analyzed the strong performance put on the court against the young French promise.
Tommy Paul's words at the end of the match
The American said he was happy to have prevailed in such a hard-fought match: "These victories are sometimes the best.
Obviously I would have liked to finish in two, I had a couple of match points, but he played really well, so I can't get too angry. I found myself in a little hole in the third set, but I was lucky to get out of it."
The American then spoke about his opponent's skills: "I think I entered the court with a game plan and I had to change completely.
I got a break in the first game playing with my original game plan, but then he adapted very quickly. I think he will continue to get better and better. I think he's going to have a very bright future."
The American is now used to these long matches: "It's nice when they go well.
But when they don't it sucks a bit. I had fun today, and it was nice. Even if there was a moment in the match where which, when I was fighting in the third set, where I said to myself: You know, if I lose, it was still a battle.
We both gave it our all, so you can't be too upset."
The 26-year-old from New Jersey has reached 11th position in the ranking and is one step away from the Top-10.
He explained: “I don't think about it very much. I know if I do well, he'll be there.
I'm more busy focusing on performance. I want to go all the way in all these tournaments. There are a lot of big tournaments for the rest of the year, a lot of opportunities, so I'm excited to play."