Match Report
Paul saves 3 championship factors to win first ATP Tour clay title in Houston
American outlasts Burruchaga in championship match
April 06, 2026
US Clay
Tommy Paul celebrates after clinching his first title of the season Sunday in Houston.
By ATP Employees
Tommy Paul was as near defeat as doable Sunday in Houston, however refused to provide in.
The American saved three championship factors to outlast Argentine Roman Andres Burruchaga 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 within the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Males’s Clay Courtroom Championship remaining to say his fifth ATP Tour title and first on clay.
“Roman, it was a tremendous week,” Paul mentioned to Burruchaga throughout the trophy presentation. “At this time’s degree was critically nice, nice degree.
“You are enjoying wonderful tennis, and it’s only going to get higher.”
Of their maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head sequence conflict, Burruchaga clinched an early break within the third set, then held three championship factors on Paul’s serve, main 5-3. However the American saved all three, benefitting from two errors earlier than hitting a volley winner.
The fourth seed then reeled off three consecutive video games to seal the thriller. Paul completed having crucially saved 9 of the 12 break factors he confronted, in response to Infosys ATP Stats.
Watch Paul’s Championship Level Saves:
Paul ensured a fifth consecutive American champion in Houston together with his two-hour, 40-minute triumph. The house favorite adopted Reilly Opelka (2022), Frances Tiafoe (2023), Ben Shelton (2024) and Jenson Brooksby (2025). With the win, the 28-year-old Paul grew to become the oldest Houston champion since a 32-year-old Juan Monaco in 2016.
Paul suffered a heartbreaking quarter-final defeat to Arthur Fils on the ATP Masters 1000 occasion in Miami, the place the American let slip 4 match factors to lose to the Frenchman. However the former No. 8 participant within the PIF ATP Rankings has this week bounced again with a title in Houston.
Along with his Houston triumph, Paul reached the Delray Seashore remaining in February. He’s now in eighth place within the PIF ATP Dwell Race to Turin.
Burruchaga was chasing his first tour-level title and was aiming to turn out to be the fourth first-time champion this season. The Argentine stormed by way of the attract Houston, upsetting fifth seed Brandon Nakashima within the second spherical and third seed Learner Tien within the quarter-finals and dropped solely two video games in a commanding semi-final win towards Thiago Agustin Tirante.
Together with his run to the championship match, Burruchaga has risen 15 locations to No. 62 within the PIF ATP Dwell Rankings.
“Congratulations to Tommy, properly deserved, it was a very nice remaining,” Burruchaga mentioned. “I’m actually pleased with myself for the week that I did. I’m going to attempt once more, each week we’ve alternatives.”
Did You Know?
Paul earned the primary ATP Tour fundamental draw of his profession in Houston in 2016, when he defeated Paolo Lorenzi as an 18-year-old.
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