Houston
Paul survives Tiafoe & rain delay, reaches first final on clay in Houston

Fourth seed to face Burruchaga in Sunday’s final

April 04, 2026

Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images

Tommy Paul defeated Frances Tiafoe on Saturday in Houston.
By ATP Staff

Tommy Paul marched into his first ATP Tour clay-court final on Saturday when he battled through a gruelling three-set thriller to outlast Frances Tiafoe in the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship semi-finals.

The American prevailed 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(7) in a two-hour, 45-minute showdown, advancing to his second final of the season and the ninth of his career. With the victory, Paul ended the second seed’s hopes of reaching his fourth consecutive championship match at the ATP 250 event in Houston.

“I did a good job of playing when I needed to,” Paul said. “That was an incredible match with Big Foe.”

With the victory, the 28-year-old improved to 4-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Tiafoe. The American will aim to win his first title of the season when he faces Roman Andres Burruchaga in Sunday’s final.

Burruchaga notched a breakthrough semi-final victory earlier on Saturday. With his 6-1, 6-1 win against countryman and good friend Thiago Agustin Tirante, the 24-year-old marched into his first ATP Tour final.

“We are very close friends, so it is never easy,” Burruchaga said. “It was a very tough match, so I am happy.”

Tirante reached the last four without dropping serve, highlighted by a quarter-final win against top seed Ben Shelton. But Burruchaga disrupted that momentum by applying relentless pressure from the outset, denying Tirante any opportunity to establish rhythm.

Watch Burruchaga vs. Tirante highlights:

The 24-year-old finished having converted five of the eight break points he earned and won 100 per cent (21/21) of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. With his 61-minute triumph, the Argentine jumped five spots to No. 61 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

“It is going to be my first final tomorrow,” Burruchaga said. “I played really good tennis the entire week, so I am super happy.”