Tommy Paul achieved a significant milestone at the French Open on Sunday, June 1, 2025, becoming the first American man to reach the quarterfinals at Roland-Garros since Andre Agassi in 2003. The 12th-seeded Paul secured his spot by defeating 25th-seeded Alexei Popyrin of Australia with a convincing 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory in less than two hours.

This straight-sets win was a welcome change for Paul, who had endured consecutive five-set matches, spending nearly 11 hours on court in his previous three rounds. "I am very happy to get a straight sets win. I have been playing some very long matches so that felt really good. Shorter matches like this help a lot," Paul commented post-match. Despite an early setback where he was broken in the first game, Paul immediately broke back. He was notably effective in crucial moments, saving 9 out of 10 break points he faced while converting five of his six opportunities. Popyrin, a former junior champion in Paris like Paul, had not lost a set in his run to the fourth round but struggled against Paul's relentless attack and superior movement, visibly expressing frustration and finding his second serve a particular weakness. Paul's clinical shot-making saw him break Popyrin again to take the first set, continue his dominance by breaking at the start of the second, and ultimately cruise to victory after going 3-0 up in the third.

With this victory, the 28-year-old Paul also distinguished himself as the only active U.S. man to reach the quarterfinals at Grand Slam tournaments on all three surfaces, having previously made the semifinals at the Australian Open in 2023 (hard courts) and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2024 (grass courts). Both Paul, whose junior singles title in Paris came a decade ago, and Popyrin share the distinction of being former junior champions on the Parisian red clay.

Paul's success is part of a broader strong showing for American tennis at this year's French Open. Americans on Saturday equalled a 40-year-old record with five women and three men advancing to the fourth round. Historically, the last time multiple U.S. men were in the French Open quarterfinals was in 1996, featuring Jim Courier and Pete Sampras. Andre Agassi remains the last American man to reach the semifinals at Roland-Garros, which he did when he won the championship in 1999 to complete a career Grand Slam.

Later on Sunday, two other American men, No. 13 Ben Shelton and No. 15 Frances Tiafoe, were scheduled to play their fourth-round matches for a chance to join Paul in the quarterfinals. Shelton faced defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, while Tiafoe was up against Daniel Altmaier. In the women's draw, five Americans reached the fourth round: No. 16 Amanda Anisimova played No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Sunday, while Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, and Hailey Baptiste were set to play for quarterfinal berths on Monday. Paul will next face either second seed and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or fellow American Ben Shelton.