Alexei Popyrin admitted it's back to the drawing board after his French Open campaign ended with a tame 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 loss to American Tommy Paul. The last Australian man standing at Roland Garros was left frustrated by his performance, citing a lack of consistency that has plagued his game.
Popyrin, the 25th seed, committed 37 unforced errors and struggled with his forehand and backhand. Despite reaching the fourth round for the first time in Paris, he was disappointed with how he played. 'There was no consistency today, it was a very, very up-and-down match,' he said.
Paul, known for his toughness, saved 10 of 11 break points and broke Popyrin early in each set. The American will face either Ben Shelton or Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals, becoming the first US man to reach that stage at Roland Garros since Andre Agassi in 2003.
Popyrin, who beat Novak Djokovic at last year's US Open, now turns his attention to the grass season, hoping his big weapons will be more effective. He plans to work with his team to find the consistency that continues to elude him.
