American star Tommy Paul may have only played one match in the Dallas Open, but he’s surely already sealed the shot of the tournament honour. Paul, 27, made it through to the last-16 after battling back to beat compatriot Jenson Brooksby.
The third seed was given an unexpectedly tough match by Brooksby, before eventually coming through 6-7 6-3 6-4.
He’ll now face Ethan Quinn for a place in the quarter-finals, but after his clash nobody was talking about the draw for the world No.9.
Early in the second set, Paul seemed certain to lose a point on his serve after a precise lob from Brooksby. It left Paul scrambling back to try and deal with the bouncing ball, and he seemingly had little chance of keeping the ball in play.
However, Paul then nonchalantly flicked his right arm and played the ball over his left shoulder. Still facing the back wall, he wouldn’t even have seen the ball sear down the line past Brooksby for the most remarkable winner.
His effort prompted excitement in the commentary box, with one correspondent saying: “No way Tommy Paul. That’s unbelievable. He’s trying not to smile but….that is special from Tommy Paul.“
His co-pundit interrupted with: “I think he deserves a smile at the very least. It’s absolutely ridiculous. What is that? The ball is so far in front of him. How has he even flicked that?”
Initially, Brooksby reacted by looking on in disbelief with his hands on his hips. Eventually, he trudged back to the baseline but did raise his hands and offer a clap on his way to acknowledge the shot.
Paul arrived in Dallas as the defending champion and fresh from a good run at the Australian Open. He eventually lost to Alexander Zverev in four sets, but has won six of his eight matches in 2025.
Tournament organisers have raised the stakes this year, with the respective winner set to earn 500 points towards their ranking. Last year, Paul only received 250 points for his victory.
The prize money has also been upped to more than £2million. As a result, the venue has been switched from its previous home at the Altec Tennis Complex to the Star arena, which can accommodate more fans.
