Tommy Paul enjoys Frecce Tricolori air show en route to Rome victory 🇮🇹

ROME, Italy—Players and fans at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia were treated to a patriotic air show courtesy of the Frecce Tricolori on Monday, the Italian Air Force’s aerobatic demonstration team doing multiple laps in tribute to the eponymous Tricolore flag.

American Tommy Paul was up a set and a break on Tomas Machac when the planes first arrived over Super Tennis Arena.

“That was cool, no?” laughed Paul, who ultimately advanced 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4 over Machac. “I thought it was really cool.”

Though the display briefly halted play during the Campo Centrale match between Peyton Stearns and Naomi Osaka, Paul and Machac opted to play on.

“It was right at the beginning of the game; I thought it was a one-time fly-by but they came back and then they came back again. Then it got kind of smoky on the court.

“But we looked at each other and [Machac] said, ‘It’s fine with me,’ so we just kept going. It cleared pretty quick, but I thought it was pretty cool.”

The Frecce Tricolori typically fly on major holidays throughout the late spring to early fall—including national celebrations like April 25th’s Liberation Day and June 2nd’s Italian Republic Day—Paul didn’t expect the mid-match show to play out during his match. But that was probably for the best.

“We’d be probably thinking the whole match like, ‘When are these planes coming?’” the 27-year-old said with a laugh.

A former Roland Garros junior champion, Paul reached the semifinals at the Foro Italico last spring. The No. 11 seed, who took in a soccer game between SS Lazio and Juventus with Reilly Opelka and Venus Williams on Saturday, will next face No. 7 seed Alex de Minaur in the fourth round (De Minaur leads 5-0).

“He’s the quickest guy on tour and he’s a smart player. He’s got the best of me multiple times now but we’ve always had some serious wars,” said Paul, who forgot their 2022 encounter at this very tournament.

“It’s another revenge match. I hadn’t beaten Machac before, and I feel like I’m playing pretty well. He’s obviously been having a pretty good clay-court season, and he’s pretty much the most consistent guy on tour. So, it’s going to be a challenge and I’m really excited for it. I’m looking forward to it.”