Stockholm Open: Paul dominates Dimitrov to lift fourth trophy of his career

American Tommy Paul, the No 4 seed, claimed the Stockholm Open trophy by beating Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, the No 3 seed, 6-4, 6-3 at the Kungliga Tennishallen on Sunday.

Paul sought to establish his dominance early on the match, and did so by winning 12 of the first 14 points, breaking in Dimitrov’s opening service game. The Bulgarian continued to struggle with the American’s depth on the return, and it was the latter who had two opportunities for a double break – virtual set points – at 4-1. However, Paul failed to capitalise, and both players were subsequently broken twice to end the return-dominated set, with the initial break being the saving grace for the American.

In the second set, both players improved the effectiveness of their first serve, winning a greater share of such points compared to the first set. Ultimately, however, it was the No 4 seed who made a more significant improvement on the serve – which is often crucial in these slick conditions – and won a stunning 92 percent and 80 percent of points on his first and second serve, respectively.

In fitting fashion, Paul finished the match with a cross court forehand winner and claimed the title in Stockholm for the second time in his career. The American had previously won the title back in 2021, and today’s victory adds a fourth trophy to his overall collection – having won in Dallas and Queen’s earlier this season.

Speaking after the win, Tommy Paul was, as expected, extremely happy with his performance over the whole tournament:

“Every match I played, I got better and better. I think today I came out playing amazingly, very happy with the performance.”

Paul, ranked No 13, defeated Serb qualifier Laslo Djere (6-2, 7-6 (2)), Serb Miomir Kecmanovic (7-6 (9), 6-2) and Swiss wildcard Stan Wawrinka (6-3, 6-2) ahead of his victory.

In the previous rounds of the Stockholm tournament, Dimitrov, ranked No 10, defeated Frenchman Quentin Halys (7-6 (1), 6-3), Swiss Dominic Stricker (6-3, 6-2) and Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, the No 7 seed (2-6, 7-5, 6-4).