Alejandro Davidovic Fokina entered this duel after securing a hard-fought victory in a five-set thriller in the previous match against another American, Reilly Opelka. Fans inside the John Cain Arena expected a similar thrilling contest against Tommy Paul in the third round as well. But the match ended much earlier than expected, and Paul has some thoughts on it.

“I mean, not too much I did wrong today. Obviously, feel bad for Foki. I mean, he’s always a tough out. I’m not sure what he’s dealing with today, but obviously, he’s struggling with something. So, I feel bad for him and his team, but I was happy with the way that I played today,” Tommy noted about his game getting overshadowed. 

Paul controlled the contest from the opening games, racing to a 5-0 lead in the first set behind rock-solid serving and relentless pressure on return. Fokina, who appeared hampered by leg issues, managed to get on the scoreboard late in the set, but Paul closed it out with authority after winning ten straight service points.

Momentum stayed firmly with the world number 20, Tommy Paul, in the second set. He secured an early break, and as Fokina’s physical discomfort worsened, the Spaniard called for an MTO (Medical Time Out) to address a left hamstring or thigh issue. Despite returning to the court, he struggled to move freely, allowing Paul to reel off six consecutive games and take the second set 6-1.

At 1-6, 1-6 down after just 55 minutes, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina opted to retire, sending Paul into the Melbourne fourth for the third time in his career, following similar runs in 2023 and 2025. With this, the H2H record between these two players now stands at 5-0, in Paul’s favor.

Tommy Paul looks in good touch at the moment in Melbourne. He is yet to drop a set in this tournament. But the road to the QF won’t be so easy! He could possibly face the current world number one, Carlos Alcaraz, in the next round. To beat the best, Paul needs to be at the top of his physical fitness, and here’s what he said previously about his goals for this season.

Tommy Paul reveals his goals for the 2026 season

Tommy Paul’s third-round victory at the Australian Open came with mixed emotions, as his opponent’s injury brought their match to an early close.

Paul’s compassion added weight, given his own recent injury battles. He had to cut short his 2025 season after the US Open to fully recover from a lingering foot injury that derailed what had been shaping into a breakthrough campaign. Paul returned to action at the Garden Cup exhibition in December 2025. And he looked fully charged up for the 2026 season.

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Just a few days ago, in a conversation with Nick Remsen at Interview Magazine, he spoke about his hunger for success in 2026. “I’m pretty motivated this year just because last year, I had so many goals that I wasn’t able to accomplish, and then I wasn’t even able to finish the year. I’m trying to avenge last year in some sort of way. Last year, my goal was quarters or better in every slam. And I started the year great, doing quarters here in Australia, and at the French Open. And then at Wimbledon, my body fell apart. It was such a roller coaster of a year.”

Tommy Paul has two goals for this season. One is to play without pain, and the second is to accomplish the goals that he set for himself last year. Now, since he has gotten off to a stellar start, how far do you think he can reach at the 2026 AO?