NEW YORK — For the first time since 2005, three American men advanced to the quarterfinals of the US Open on Sunday. Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton all emerged victorious and will next play on Tuesday with semifinal berths on the line.
That achievement also makes this the first major since 1968 in which two Black American men (Tiafoe and Shelton) have reached this stage of the tournament.
It’s been a resurgent season for the countrymen as a group. The American men’s struggles have been well documented in recent years. No countryman has won a major title since Andy Roddick did so at the US Open in 2003, and none has reached a final since 2009. The American women have remained a dominant force in the sport, with four women winning Slam titles since Roddick’s triumph, and now, a new crop of talented young Americans has begun to turn the men’s fortunes around.
For the first time in over a decade, two American men — Fritz and Tiafoe — are ranked in the top 10. Eight are currently in the top 50. Tommy Paul, who lost to Shelton on Sunday, reached the semifinals at the Australian Open in January, and at least one American is guaranteed to at least match that result in Queens this week.
So who are the three American men who have a chance to snap the…
