American Tommy Paul has reached the semi-finals of the Italian Open in Rome. -AP
American Tommy Paul has produced the biggest clay-court result of his career at the Italian Open -- and he's not finished yet.
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Paul outlasted world No.9 Hubert Hurkacz 7-5 3-6 6-3 on Thursday to earn a spot in the semi-finals at the Foro Italico, following up from his straight-set victory over defending champion Daniil Medvedev.
Paul broke the big-serving Hurkacz seven times, while dropping his own serve six times.
Before beating Medvedev, Paul had never defeated a top-20 player on clay. Now he's defeated two top-10 players back-to-back for the first time in his career — on any surface.
In the semi-finals on Friday, Paul, the world's 16th ranked player, will face either Monte Carlo Masters champion Stefanos Tsitsipas or Nicolas Jarry, who were playing their quarter-final later.
The other semi-final will feature 2017 Rome champion Alexander Zverev against Alejandro Tabilo, who eliminated Novak Djokovic in the third round.
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