WHAT HAPPENED: For No. 14 seed Tommy Paul, advancing to the US Open’s second round has a nice ring to it. The American defeated Denmark’s Elmer Moller, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1, in Louis Armstrong Stadium on Tuesday night to advance beyond the opening round for the fourth straight year at his home major.
It’s been an uneven year for Paul, who suffered a foot injury that hampered his Wimbledon showing after sustaining an abdominal ailment that derailed his Roland Garros run in the quarterfinals.
But while idle, he plopped a ring on fiancee Paige Lorenze’s finger.
In his first Grand Slam since popping the question, Paul got an answer on his physically condition. Paul’s once troublesome left foot held up and that was enough to hold off Moller, who was making his US Open debut and had lost to Paul in their only other meeting.
“I was just happy to be feeling good out there,’’ Paul said in the on-court interview. “I’m feeling great.”
Paul converted his second break-point opportunity of the first set when Moller double-faulted to give Paul a 4-2 lead en route to claiming the opening frame.
The second set was tight, too, although Moller’s serve betrayed him and he was often too aggressive from both sides in trying to smack winners. Combine that with the speedy Paul chasing down most anything that landed between the lines, and it became too big of a hill for Moller, who has a sensational two-handed backhand, to climb. Paul seized a break in the second set’s first game and its final game for a 6-3 frame.
The third set wasn’t competitive as Moller again was broken in the opening game (he finished with 12 double faults), the velocity and accuracy of the Dane’s shots lacking. Paul, eager to flee the court, didn’t take his (healthy) foot off the pedal as he broke Moller twice to take it, 6-1, and cap a solid first-round appearance.
“I have some things to clean up with my game,’’ Paul said. “But I’m very, very excited.”
WHAT IT MEANS: The win underscores that Paul’s mending foot is fit and that he could be a dangerous opponent as the tournament matures. The American has the goods to advance deep and is not mentally overwhelmed on tennis’ biggest stages, having reached at least the quarterfinals in all of the Slam events, save the US Open. It’s more a question of how his body responds during this two-week test, especially on hard courts with a once-compromised foot.
Paul claims his foot is fine and he moved exceptionally well, but that doesn’t mean it will hold up over an extended stretch. Up next in the second round is Portugal’s unseeded Nuno Borges, a 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 winner over American Brandon Holt.
MATCH POINT: This year Paul became the first American man since Andre Agassi (2003) to reach the Australian Open and French Open quarterfinals in the same season. With Tuesday’s victory, he joined Ben Shelton (12) as the second American male to record 10 Grand Slam match wins this year. It’s the third straight year Paul has reached double-digits in Slam victories.
