Paul Rallies Past de Minaur into 10th Final in Hamburg

By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, May 22, 2026
Photo credit: bitPanda Hamburg Open Facebook

Tommy Paul continues crafting red-clay revival after near competitive death in Hamburg.

Riding a stinging serve in the final set, Paul rallied past third-seeded Alex de Minaur, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 into his 10th career final on the red clay of the Hamburg Open today.

It’s a milestone moment for Paul, who is the first American since Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors in 1981 to advance to the Hamburg championship.

All this after Paul was down and nearly out of the event before fighting off seven match points to edge Argentinean Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the second round.

The sixth-seeded Paul will play for his sixth career championship, including his second clay crown of the season after winning Houston, tomorrow. Paul plays Peruvian qualifier Ignacio Buse in Saturday’s title match.

Earlier, Buse permitted just four points on serve ending American lucky loser Aleksandar Kovacevic’s inspired run with a 6-1, 6-4 sweep.

World No. 57 Buse is the first Peruvian Tour-level finalist since Luis Horna at 2007 Vina del Mar and just the fourth Peruvian man in the Open Era to reach a Tour-level final. Buse, who did converted four of five break points, is the first qualifier to reach the Hamburg final since Nikoloz Basilashvili in 2018.

World No. 26 Paul, who celebrated his 29th birthday on Sunday, beat de Minaur for the second straight time after losing the first five meetings between the pair. Paul, who scored his fourth career Top 10 win on dirt, carries a 24-9 record in 2026 into the final.