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Tommy Paul defeats Marcos Giron in all-U.S. singles final at 2024 Dallas Open

Arthur Kapetanakis | February 12, 2024


Even before the football game, Sunday was super for Tommy Paul. The American claimed his second ATP Tour title with a thrilling three-set win against compatriot Marcos Giron at the Dallas Open, securing a tour-level trophy for the first time since he won Stockholm in 2021.

 

In the first all-American ATP Tour final since 2022, Paul pounced on both of his break points to edge his red-hot opponent, 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3. Giron entered the match on the heels of Top 20 wins against Frances Tiafoe and Adrian Mannarino, but he was denied his first ATP crown by an inspired performance from Paul.

“That was a pretty unbelievable match. The best final I’ve ever played," said Paul, who powered past American Ben Shelton to reach the title round.

 

Both finalists advanced to that stage without losing a set, and their confidence showed on Sunday. After the competitors traded heavy baseline blows and engaged in lung-busting rallies for nearly two hours, the high-quality contest came down to a decisive set.

 

Giron forced the third frame by winning the last three games of set two, but Paul responded with a three-game run of his own in the final set—a timely surge that proved decisive. Having saved four of six points in the opening two sets, Paul did not allow a break chance in the third on his way to victory.

 

The result improved Paul to 2-1 against Giron on the ATP Tour, with their head-to-head level at 3-3 if you include three other meetings at the ITF and Challenger level.

Runner-up Marcos Giron (left) and champion Tommy Paul during the 2024 Dallas Open trophy ceremony. Photo credit: Dallas Open/Alex Smith.

“Marcos, I was watching you all week this week, you were playing unbelievable tennis,” Paul said during the trophy ceremony at the ATP 250 event.

 

“It was so fun to watch you play and it's cool. I know your team and you very well. We played through the Challengers like you said the other day, so it's really cool to be playing in the finals of a Tour event now and hopefully we can keep doing it, keep moving up for many more matches just like that. That was unbelievable.”

Photo credit: Dallas Open/Alex Smith.

Giron also acknowledged their relationship in his comments during the trophy ceremony: “It sucks losing but there’s nobody else I’d rather go down to than you,” he said. “I gave it my all so no regrets. I’ll come back next year.”

 

While Paul moved up to world No. 14 behind his title run—two spots off his career high—Giron rose 15 places to No. 52, three places of his best mark. Paul also edged in front of Frances Tiafoe to become the No. 2-ranked American man, behind world No. 9 Taylor Fritz. (It was Fritz and Tiafoe who contested the previous all-American ATP final, with Fritz coming out on top in Tokyo in 2022.)

 

Both Paul and Giron will seek more success on home soil this week in Delray Beach. Giron is set to meet fellow American Emilio Nava in the first round, while Paul will face compatriot Alex Michelsen or a qualifier after an opening-round bye.

In the Dallas doubles final, American William Blumberg and Aussie Rinky Hijikata fell just short of the title in a 6-4, 2-6, 10-8 defeat to fourth-seeded Australians Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson. Blumberg is now 3-2 in ATP Tour finals, with his most recent title coming in 2022 in Los Cabos.

 

A pair of all-American doubles teams also claimed titles on Sunday: Sofia Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands triumphed at the Abu Dhabi WTA 500, while first-time partners Caty McNally and Asia Muhammad won the WTA 250 title in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

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