WHAT HAPPENED: A decade ago, American Tommy Paul was where he hoped to be at the end of the Flushing fortnight: in a US Open final, albeit in the boys' singles event.
A quest for another final, this time in the men's tournament, inched a step closer with the No. 14-seeded Paul escaping against the unseeded Nuno Borges, 7-6 (6), 6-3, 5-7, 5-7, 7-5, in a topsy-turvy, second-round match in Arthur Ashe Stadium that began Thursday night and finished in the early hours of Friday morning.
“I’m a little bit tired right now,’’ Paul said in the on-court interview, having missed out on two match points at 5-4 in the third set. “I think we are all.”
That memory from 10 years ago is of Paul playing in the US Open junior final against another Yank, Taylor Fritz. It was another feather in Paul’s junior tennis cap as he was consistently among the world’s top youngsters.
Fritz got him in three sets, but the seed was planted in Paul, then 18, that someday he would find himself back there against the big boys.
There were growing pains, mentally and physically, as Paul’s discipline and dedication fell short. But Paul matured, turned the page and put tennis above everything else.
In Ashe, Borges was the clear underdog, but he had credentials and a belief that didn’t vibe with his No. 41 ranking. The unflappable Portuguese player had reached the fourth round of the Australian Open and US Open with smooth ground strokes and a soothing composure.
And it’s a short list, make it five players, that have defeated Rafael Nadal in a final on dirt. Borges disposed of the King of Clay when winning in Bastad last year. So the former Mississippi State Bulldog had bite, even if the final score was disappointing for the Portuguese when barked.
The first set was entertaining, as Paul had three set points at 4-5. But the pesky Borges didn’t wilt, storming back to send the frame into a tiebreak. Once there, Paul dug from a 5-6 hole in prevailing, 8-6.
Paul snagged two breaks in three games when snatching a 4-3 lead in the second set and he cruised from there. Borges’ level dropped with shaky first serves and he produced 14 unforced errors.
The American squandered two third-set match points as Borges rallied for a 7-5 verdict and doubt crept in. Paul broke to tie the score at 5-5 in the fourth set, but Borges prevailed, 7-5.
“It was pretty tough today, especially when you are up two sets to love,’’ Paul said. “You never want to lose a match like that.”
Paul broke in the fifth set’s second game, went ahead 3-0, and then hung on, 7-5. The best point of the four-hour, 25-minute match might have been the last one, in which Paul chased down a volley that dribbled over the net cord, then retreated to rip a forehand that wrong-footed Borges at net.
“It was definitely cool to get the win,’’ Paul said after a very cool finish.
WHAT IT MEANS: Paul could be a sleeper in the city that gets scant shut-eye. The key is his fitness level, which appears better than expected as he played in just one tournament (Cincinnati) in the lead-up to the US Open.
Paul’s mending foot, which sidelined him for a month after Wimbledon hasn’t troubled him. But his psyche took a massive hit and has to be monitored. Up next is No. 23 seed Alexander Bublik.
MATCH POINT: What makes Paul so dangerous on one of the most famous patches of cement in New York City? Of his four ATP tournament victories, three have come on hard courts, at Stockholm (twice) and Dallas.
