Tommy Paul is an honest guy, and that helps make him a beloved player on the ATP Tour. Asked before the 2026 US Open, many players pointed to themselves as potential winners. Paul said, "Carlos Alcaraz."
He was almost right to push himself out of the final major of the year so easily. In the first set of his first-round match against Coleman Wong, Paul let his opponent dictate points as the set grew old. No one outmoves Paul, of course, but he was certainly being outhit. Immense power has never been a part of Paul's game.
Wong took the first set in a tie-break 7-3, but the set didn't feel that close. Paul was losing and was becoming an upset candidate.
Tommy Paul defeats Coleman Wong in the first round of the US Open
Not quite so fast, however. Paul might have simply needed a set to wake up. He roared back in the second set, limiting his unforced errors and playing high-IQ tennis. He was also beginning to force Wong to move side to side, and the 22-year-old player from Hong Kong was not comfortable doing so.
Paul took the second set 6-1 and the third set 6-3, and the match was seemingly no longer about whether the American would be sent home too early, but how quickly he would end it before getting two days off before playing his second-round match.
At the beginning of the fourth set, Wong needed a medical timeout, apparently for a back issue, but he continued on. After Paul held in the opening game of the set, he got a break off Wong. Another hold would likely seal Wong's fate, and all that would be left was the playing out of the set.
Wong tried to push Paul, though. He even won a point after playing splendid defensive tennis, chasing down a ball hit wide and then another that Paul hit short. The cross-court winner by Wong might have been one of the few gems that the player had left, however. Paul would hold to move to a 3-0 lead.
Paul would keep holding easily and swept past Wong in four sets. If he plays as he did in the final three sets, he could be a threat to make a deep run at the New York major.
Tommy Paul will next face Dino Prizmic in the second round. Prizmic was a winner over Alekandr Shevchenko in five sets in his first-round match at the 2026 US Open.
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