ATP Houston Tournament: Tiafoe saves match point to advance, semifinals feature American showdown with Paul

On April 3 local time, the 2026 ATP250 Houston tournament wrapped up the men's singles quarterfinal matches. The previous year's finalist and No. 2 seed Tiafoe fought hard for 2 hours and 47 minutes, overcoming a match point in the final-set tiebreaker with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(6) to turn the match around against Australian contender Popirin, successfully breaking into the final four.

Photo of Tiafoe

Tiafoe has performed well at this event, having clinched the championship in 2023 and secured runner-up positions in both 2024 and 2025. In this tournament, he aims to reach the finals for the fourth consecutive year and reclaim the championship trophy. In the semifinals, he will face compatriot and fourth seed Paul in an "American derby"; Paul defeated sixth seed Etcheverry in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.

In the upper half of the draw, the two top-four seeds were eliminated. Top seed Shelton fell to Tirante 7-6(5), 3-6, 4-6, though he later partnered with Andrade to win the men's doubles semifinal 6-1, 6-2 against Hijikata/Segman, somewhat offsetting the disappointment. Third seed Lerner Chan lost to another Argentine player, Bruchaga, with the final score at 5-7, 4-6.

ATP Houston Tournament Men's Singles Semifinal Matchups

Tirante vs Bruchaga

[4] Paul vs Tiafoe [2]

(Text and editing: Dato, Image: Visual China)