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The chaotic 2023 Mexican Open semi-final between longtime friends Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul could have been a scene from World War I, according to coach Brad Stine.
Stine, whose pupil Tommy Paul finally emerged triumphant under trying conditions in Acapulco with the score reading 6-3, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (2) went on to lose the final against Alex de Minaur.
Over the course of the Tennis Channel's Inside-In podcast, Paul's coach went on to describe in detail how both players struggled to cope with the humidity in one of the 'craziest' matches that he ever witnessed.
"That was one of the craziest matches that I've watched and I've been around the game for 30 years," the veteran coach stated. It was a wild scenario, the entire situation. The crowds down there in Acapulco, the Mexican fans, they are crazy tennis fans. It should have been a scene in a World War 1 movie."
Describing the contest that developed as 'trench warfare' and a 'battle of attrition', Stine felt the turning point was when Taylor Fritz threw up on the sidelines following which Paul dominated the rest of the encounter.
"It became trench warfare, a battle of attrition. Both guys cramping and then the ultimate turning point was when Fritz went to the sidelines and threw up. From that point on, Tommy dominated," he explained.
The coach from Fresno reckoned that as the year passed, tennis fans would revisit the frenzied match as a one-of-a-kind contest.
"As the year goes by, people will go back and revisit that match as potentially one of the most interesting, craziest, and intense matches that happened throughout the entirety of the year," Stine opined.
Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz - little to choose between the two American talents
The two Americans, both aged 25, have been playing each other in ATP Futures and Challenger matches since 2015. The good friends have won an equal number of games against each other.
Taylor Fritz, the man who ended Rafael Nadal's incredible 20-match winning streak in the Indian Wells Open final last year, is currently ranked World No. 10 while compatriot Tommy Paul is ranked 18th as per the ATP.
Much like Fritz, Tommy Paul has also caused a few upsets on the tour. The player from Boca Raton managed to get past Carlos Alcaraz in the first round of the 2022 Canada Masters while beating his longtime friend and rival on two occasions.
While Fritz won the first encounter between the two in St. Petersburg in 2021, Tommy Paul tilted the scales by prevailing in Stockholm the same year. Fritz got past his countryman in the 2022 Miami Masters but fell short at Acapulco earlier this year.
By reaching the semi-finals of the 2023 Australian Open, Tommy Paul now has a better finish in Grand Slams than Fritz, who was a Wimbledon quarter-finalist last year.
Courtesy of his triumph at the 2022 Indian Wells Open, Taylor Fritz, though, has a Masters title to his name, while Tommy Paul registered his first and only tour-level triumph in Stockholm in 2021.
