Tommy Paul twice saves two set points to see off Joao Fonseca in Madrid night clash

Tommy Paul felt the pressure coming from across the net of his opening match in Madrid Saturday night.

Staying the course inside Manolo Santana Stadium, and digging into the red clay when his back was up against the wall, the No. 11 seed handled the challenge Joao Fonseca presented for a 7-6 (7), 7-6 (3) victory. Paul staved off a pair of set points on both occasions.

“I thought the level was awesome. From the jump, he really had me on my toes,” Paul told ATP Media afterwards. “He was in every single one of my service games in the first set.

“My serve bailed me out quite a bit.”

The Fonseca forehand versus the Paul backhand matchup led to a high-quality opening set that saw both players finish with a positive differential in winners to unforced errors. But it was ultimately 62 minutes of play that left Fonseca with a feeling of a lost opportunity.

Six break points came and went for the 18-year-old, while Paul didn’t have a look at any heading into the tie-break. Fonseca’s raw power eventually opened up two set points, but like his break chances, went unconverted. A mistimed forehand off the serve +1 at 6-4 was the toughest miss to swallow.

After erasing a set point at the line, a tentative backhand from Fonseca found the net. With a chance to serve it out, Paul located his out wide target to snatch a one-set lead on the back of 17 winners to 10 unforced errors.

The American moved ahead by a set and a break when Fonseca overhit a sitting forehand to fall behind 1-2. While Paul consolidated without any resistance, Fonseca got himself back on serve two games later on his ninth break chance. Up 5-4, the Brazilian held set point at 30-40 and then ad-out. Fonseca was unsuccessful in pulling the trigger on his forehand up the line with the latter look—this time netting it.

Paul's forehand, meanwhile, emerged as the difference-maker to swing the battle in his favor. He worked Fonseca's backhand before pulling out a disguised forehand dropshot to change ends in the 'breaker with a 4-2 advantage. His next blow led to Fonseca sliding and ending up on the ground. A few minutes later, Paul shut the door when Fonseca was unable to handle his opponent's forehand approach.

The encounter marked Paul's first appearance on European clay this season. The 27-year-old finished with a +4 differential, while Fonseca slipped to -12.

In the third round, Paul faces Karen Khachanov. The No. 24 seed edged Reilly Opelka, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), in a clash where the server held in every game.