ACAPULCO, MEXICO - FEBRUARY 22: Tommy Paul of the United States plays a forehand during a match between Tommy Paul of the United States and Matteo Berrettini of Italy as part of day 2 of the Telcel ATP Mexican Open 2022 at Arena GNP Seguros on February 22, 2022 in Acapulco, Mexico. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
The world No. 31 Tommy Paul locks horns with the world No. 79, Mikael Ymer, in the round of 16 of the Stockholm Open on Thursday.
The 25-year-old has won 34 matches and lost 23 so far this season. The defending champion has reached as many as 9 quarter-finals in 2022. However, he managed to win only once in that stage and it came at the Delray Beach Open. He was eventually ousted by the British No. 1 Cameron Norrie.
Paul came into the tournament on the back of a quarter-final appearance at the Gijon Open. He lost to Andrey Rublev in straight sets. In the first match at the Stockholm Open, Paul was up against Leo Borg. The American tennis pro lost the first set but came back strongly to win the match 5-7, 6-4, 6-1.
The Swedish youngster has been inconsistent so far this season. He has shown glimpses of his talent at various junctures. However, more often than not he has failed to live up to his full potential. The 24-year-old made it to two finals at the Open Sud de France and the Citi Open.
Ymer impressed at the recently-concluded Firenze Open where he made it to the semi-finals. He progressed from the qualifiers and defeated the likes of Tim van Rijthoven, Aslan Karatsev, and Roberto Carballes Baena before going down to Jeffrey John Wolf in straight sets. In the first round of the Stockholm Open, Ymer came from behind to defeat Quentin Halys 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 1-0 in favor of Tommy Paul. He defeated Ymer in straight sets 7-6, 7-5 in the round of 32 of the 2021 Kremlin Cup.
Prediction: Tommy Paul to win in three sets.
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