Alexei Popyrin could find no way through the American iron man Tommy Paul as the Australian men’s challenge at the French Open petered out tamely.
Popyrin, the Australian men’s No 2, never looked like grasping the opportunity to earn his first grand slam quarter-final date. He succumbed 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 on a sun-soaked Court Suzanne Lenglen in a bloodless fourth-round clash on Sunday.
Outplayed by the world No 12 in all departments, this was a huge let down for 25th seed Popyrin who had been hoping to go at least one round further than last year’s US Open, when he had downed Novak Djokovic before falling in the last 16 to another American, Frances Tiafoe.
Popyrin’s exit means that only Daria Kasatkina, in her first slam since gaining permanent residency, is now the last Australian standing. Kasatkina faces the Russian teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva in Monday’s fourth-round match.
Popyrin had harboured such high hopes going into the match after not dropping a set in his first three contests, and all started swimmingly as he broke the 28-year-old Paul in the opening game. Alas, that was as good as it got for the Sydneysider.
Paul saved the rest of the 10 break points he faced throughout the match, never allowing the Australian to get a foothold, while 37 unforced errors told of Popyrin’s underwhelming day.
The tough American had battled through two consecutive five-setters to reach this stage but was relieved to advance quickly past Popyrin. Paul becomes the first American man in the quarter-finals here since Andre Agassi in 2003, and could still be joined by compatriots Ben Shelton and Tiafoe.
“I am very glad [about] a straight-sets win. I have been playing some long matches, so that one felt really good,” said Paul, who had spent more than three-and-a-half hours more on court than Popyrin before Sunday’s match. “My team has been doing a great job getting ready for each match but definitely shorter matches like this help a lot.”
Alexei Popyrin broke in the opening game, but quickly saw the match slip away from him. Photograph: Yoan Valat/EPA Paul’s toughness was evident when Popyrin had two break points at 3-3, which the American repelled in the opening set before cashing in on a Popyrin double fault for a 5-3 lead.
Serving for the set, Paul found himself for once on the back foot as Popyrin earned three break-back points. But the 12th seed showed huge resolve to fight back and seal the set in 42 minutes.
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At the start of the second, a horrendous missed forehand sitter from Popyrin handed Paul an immediate break and the sad-eyed exchanges with his box demonstrated only the Australian’s frustration.
Popyrin has been lamenting all season his inability to find a consistency of performance and, again, this display was nowhere near the standard he had displayed in beating Portugal’s Nuno Borges in the previous round.
The Aussie’s forehand, so reliable against Borges, began to malfunction alarmingly as he was again broken for Paul to race to a two-set lead. Any chance of a comeback was soon extinguished when Paul, for a third set running, struck with an early break.
Popyrin cut a forlorn figure by the time a 26th Paul winner flashed by him on match point, the contest over inside two hours. Paul will next face either Shelton or the reigning champion, Carlos Alcaraz, in the quarter-finals.