But for the first time in their careers the two compatriots faced one another with a spot in the semi-finals on the line.

In a battle of the World nine number taking on the 2022 Dallas Open winner, it was defending champion Tommy Paul who came out on top.

Tommy Paul describes what it was like playing Reilly Opelka at the Dallas Open

Many would have expected Reilly Opelka to have the stronger serving night. But it was Paul who was stronger on serve, as he won 83% of his first serve points, and did not face a break point throughout the contest.

Paul has now won 17 of his 22 matches on US soil since the start of 2024 and he has now reached his 16th tour-level semi-final.

After the match he told Tennis Channel about his experiences playing his good friend Opelka for the first time, despite both being on the circuit for many years.

“Super weird. Whenever we tell someone that, they can’t believe it. We’ve played basically the same schedule our whole careers,” he said.

“He came on tour a little bit before me and he was obviously out for a while with injury. But other than that, we’ve played pretty much the same tournaments our whole career.

“We were so close to playing each other so many times. It was cool to play each other in a pretty big match here in the states, too.”

Who is Tommy Paul’s next opponent at the Dallas Open?

Paul’s Dallas Open title defence continues when he takes on Denis Shapovalov in the semi-finals.

The Canadian upset World number four Taylor Fritz before getting the better of the hard-hitting Tomas Machac in the quarter-finals.

The 25-year-old has had a tough draw in Dallas, and he is preparing for another stern test against the defending champion.

“I’m beating some really tough opponents. It’s been a tough draw but I’m really happy and excited with the way I’m playing,” Shapovalov said.

The pair have played on three previous occasions, with the most recent meetings coming in 2022.

Paul won their encounters at the 2021 Stockholm Open and at Queen’s before Shapovalov claimed their last meeting at the Cincinnati Masters.

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