PARIS — Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul left the regular ATP men’s tennis tour to compete in the Olympic Games Paris 2024. As Paul said last week on the eve of the Games, “When you get the call up for the Olympics, it’s hard to turn it down.”

Now, the two men get a chance to play for an Olympic medal, even if it’s not the metallurgic content that they wanted: bronze instead of gold.

“That’s the goal now,” said Paul, of the Olympic bronze medal. “We’ve got to get back out there tomorrow and produce some great tennis hopefully.”

The match brought an end to Fritz’s and Paul’s great run in doubles at these Olympic Games. Normally singles players at the Grand Slam matches, the two have played doubles together since they were juniors. Fritz is age 26, Paul 27. Recently, they played men’s doubles together at the Italian Open, losing in the first round.

“I would say the matches this week is probably been some of our best tennis that we’ve that we’ve played,” said Paul.

Fritz quickly added with a laugh, “This is the hardest we’ve ever really tried, to be fair.”

In addition to playing singles at the Paris Games, the two paired in doubles because — as Fritz said last week — they wanted as many opportunities as possible to win an Olympic medal. They are also best friends. (And 2015 on these same red clay courts, they faced each other in the junior finals of the French Open, with Paul taking the win.)

Seeded third in men’s doubles at the Olympic tournament — based on their high singles rankings (12th for Fritz, 13th for Paul) — the Americans used baseline power and finesse at the net to advance to the semis. Until the semifinal match, the two Americans had not dropped a set, memorably beating three-time Grand Slam champion and three-time Olympic medalist Andy Murray and Daniel Evans from Great Britain in the quarterfinals.

“I felt like there wasn’t much the people on other side the net could do,” said Fritz of their doubles play earlier in the Olympic tournament.

Until they met Ebden and Peers, both 36 years old and formidable doubles players. Formerly ranked no.1, Ebden has won three Grand Slam titles in men’s doubles, including the 2024 Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2022 (with partner Rohan Bopanna from India). He also owns the mixed doubles Australian Open title from 2013. In May 2024, Ebden advanced to the semifinals of the French Open.