$6,000,000-worth Hollywood star gives his verdict on Ajla Tomljanovic's thrilling ATX Open win

Vampire Diaries star Paul Wesley has praised the WTA after watching a highly entertaining match between Ajla Tomljanovic and Ena Shibahara. Shibahara and Tomljanovic battled in the quarterfinal of the ATX Open at the Westwood Country Club, Virginia. Tomljanovic won the epic encounter, which lasted over two and a half hours, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (10-8).

Wesley is a well-known tennis fanatic, often using his social media platform to declare his love for the sport. He plays the character of Stefan Salvatore in the popular Netflix series Vampire Diaries, and also stars as James T. Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Tomljanovic and Wesley have Netflix in common. The Australian World No. 12 starred in Netflix's Break Point documentary, which followed several tennis players as they navigated their tour season. After Tomljanovic's enthralling win, the WTA posted a message from Wesley on X, praising the tour for the match's quality and entertainment value:

"Hi guys, I'm here at the ATX Open, just seen an amazing match...8 match points...Tomljanovic won...good stuff, having a great time. Check it out, and shout out to the WTA."

Wesley's love of tennis goes back a long way. After the 2021 US Open final, in which Novak Djokovic outpowered Daniil Medvedev in straight sets, Wesley posted on his Instagram page:

"As a massive tennis fanatic, the @usopen final was an epic way to celebrate my dad’s birthday."

Ajla Tomljanovic's win over Ena Shibahara was an epic encounter that featured eight match points

2025 Australian Open - Day 4 - Source: Getty

31-year-old Ajla Tomljanovic's on-court exploits might have been overshadowed by her off-court fame, but her performances in Virginia are beginning to change that. The quarterfinal marked her third win in the tournament, and her second three-set epic. In all, she's spent nearly seven hours on court. She got to 3-0 in the final set, and served for the match at 5-3, but then lost her serve.

At 6-5, Tomljanovic had another two match points, but Shibahara saved those and forced a tie-breaker. Tomljanovic fought to a 6-3 lead in the tie-break but then squandered three more match points. It took the Australian two more match points to eventually close out the match. The match had been as close as it could be: the official stats had Tomljanovic winning 109 points to Shibahara's 107.

Ajla Tomljanovic moves into the semifinals where she'll meet top-seeded Jessica Pegula in one of Saturday’s semifinals. Given his reaction to the quarterfinal, Paul Wesley may well be in attendance.