Tommy Paul of the United States. Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: American Tommy Paul catches fire in fifth set at second round of Wimbledon

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Jul 3, 2024 4:17 PM ET

Tommy Paul's rally in the fifth set helped him avoid getting bounced in the second round of Wimbledon.

Against Finn Otto Virtanen, the American earned 12 of the ma last 13 points to clinch a 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 victory in three hours and 19 minutes.

Tommy Paul wins 12 of the last 13 points to win a five set classic on No.3 Court

The No.12 seed needed his very best to defeat Otto
Virtanen 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/CIVDDNLT0v
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2024

Ultimately, Virtanen made too many mistakes. Per IBM's Slamtracker, he had five double faults and 55 unforced errors. Paul, however, must capitalize on break points in his next match, as he only captured four of 11 against Virtanen.

Paul will face Kazakhstani Alexander Bublik in the third round on Friday. According to the ATP's website, they've only played each other once at Rotterdam in 2021. Paul won this match 6-7, 6-3, 6-1.

Paul, No. 13 in the world, is the second-highest-ranked American in men's singles behind Taylor Fritz (No. 12). He's trying to advance past the fourth round at the All England Club for the first time.

Paul recently captured his first grass-court title at the Queen's Club Championships, which bodes well for the 27-year-old. As of Wednesday, DraftKings Sportsbook gives him +4500 odds to win the Grand Slam, the ninth best.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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