Tommy Paul wins third ATP title of 2024 in Stockholm
Prior to this season, Tommy Paul's lone ATP Tour title came in Stockholm in 2021. The American has now added three more singles trophies in 2024 after returning to the winner's circle Sunday at the Swedish ATP 250.
The fourth-seeded Paul blitzed through the Stockholm field to claim the crown without dropping a set, beating Stan Wawrinka in the semifinals and third seed Grigor Dimitrov in Sunday's final. His 6-4, 6-3 victory against Dimitrov completed a dominant weekend in which he lost just 12 games in four sets.
"It's a very special place for me," the 27-year-old said of the Swedish capital city. "This is where I got my first title a few years ago and to come out and play the level of tennis I did this week, it's been a dream."
Paul has now won titles in Dallas, London and Stockholm this season, along with a runner-up finish in Delray Beach. Three of his four career titles have come on indoor hard courts, with his grass-court triumph this summer at Queen's Club the lone exception.
Paul was pushed to a second-set tiebreak by Laslo Djere in the Stockholm opening round and survived an 11-9 first-set tiebreak against Miomir Kecmanovic in the quarterfinals. After beating both Serbians, he raised his level for the money rounds against Wawrinka and Dimitrov.
“I feel like every match I played a little bit better and better,” Paul said after dismissing Bulgaria's Dimitrov in a one-hour, 25-minute final. “Today I came out playing amazing, so I was definitely happy with the performance.”
The title lifted Paul back up to No. 12 in the ATP rankings, matching his career high from October 2023. Now 45-17 this season, Paul is mounting a charge to qualify for the ATP Finals for the first time. He is currently in 10th place in the ATP's Race to Turin, less than 500 points behind Andrey Rublev for the eighth and final qualifying spot.
American Taylor Fritz is in fifth place in the race, one spot ahead of Novak Djokovic, as the US Open finalist bids for his second appearance at the prestigious season finale.
Paul will continue his push this week as the fourth seed in Vienna, where he will take on compatriot Brandon Nakashima in the opening round.
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