Tommy Paul outlasts fellow American Taylor Fritz, reaches Mexican final

The Americans faced each other for the first time — when Fritz was 13 and Paul was 14 — at the 2011 USTA Boys’ 14s National Championships in San Antonio, Texas.

Tommy Paul defeated fellow American and longtime rival Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (2) in a three-hour marathon match Friday night and secured a spot in the Mexican Open final.

USA's Tommy Paul returns the ball against USA's Taylor Fritz during semifinals the Mexico ATP Open 500 men's singles tennis match at the Arena GNP, in Acapulco, Mexico, on March 3, 2023. (Photo by RODRIGO ARANGUA / AFP) (AFP)

The pair of 25-year-olds have squared off since their teenage years. The Americans faced each other for the first time — when Fritz was 13 and Paul was 14 — at the 2011 USTA Boys’ 14s National Championships in San Antonio, Texas.

On Friday, Paul need nearly three-and-a-half hours to beat the third-seeded Fritz in the semifinal round and became the third American to reach the final in Acapulco. Fritz accomplished the feat in 2020, and Sam Querrey won the tournament in 2017.

Paul, who reached the semifinals in the Australian Open in January, is trying to capture his second career title after Stockholm in 2021.

He will face the winner of the late Friday semifinal between Denmark's Hulger Rune and Australia's Alex de Minaur.