Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul try to add to best French Open for U.S. men in decades

NBC Sports

2 days ago

PARIS — It's been 30 years since three American men reached Week 2 at the French Open. Back then, it was Andre Agassi, Michael Chang and Jim Courier — each of whom won the tournament at some point.
This go-round, the trio is Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, all scheduled to be on court Sunday in fourth-round action at Roland-Garros.
'Yeah, about time,' joked Jessica Pegula, who advanced Saturday to give the U.S. at least three women in the round of 16. 'It's exciting to see. Obviously you want to see your fellow countrymen do well on the other side, and I'm always actually keeping up with them quite a lot. So I hope they keep it going.'
Who do the American men left in the French Open play on Sunday?
Won't be easy, of course, perhaps especially for the 13th-seeded Shelton, the big-serving lefty who goes up against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain for a berth in the quarterfinals. No. 12 Paul takes on No. 25 Alexei Popyrin of Australia; No. 15 Tiafoe meets unseeded Daniel Altmaier of Germany.
Not since Courier and Pete Sampras in 1996 have multiple Americans made it to the quarterfinals in Paris.
Historically, the slower red clay used at the French Open has not been particularly kind to men from the United States. Some of that is simply that they tend to grow up playing mostly on hard courts, which reward a big-strike style of hard-hitting tennis, and so they are not as accustomed to the patience and footwork required on the red dirt.
'I really do think everyone can play on this surface,' said Paul, an Australian Open semifinalist two years ago. 'I remind myself it's just tennis.'
But for years, Paul said, he was not excited to participate in the French Open. And that's coming from someone who won the event's junior title as a teen in 2015.
'Now I come over here and I look at it as an opportunity,' said Paul, 28, who grew up in North Carolina. 'I think all the Americans do.'
Andre Agassi in 1999 was the last US man to win the Roland-Garros title
Agassi, in 1999, was the last American man to win the trophy at the French Open — and the nation hasn't had a male finalist since then. Before that, it was Courier in 1991 and 1992. Before that, it was Chang in 1989. And before that, you have to go all the way back to Tony Trabert in 1954 and 1955.
American women have had much more success: 15 singles titles in the Open era, including seven for Chris Evert and three for Serena Williams, plus 13 runner-up showings, most recently by Coco Gauff in 2022.
'It's super critical not to worry about what was and just worry about what is,' said Tiafoe, a 27-year-old from Maryland who twice made the semifinals at the hard-court U.S. Open but began his Roland-Garros career by going 0-6. 'Currently we're at the French Open, and just try to be elite. This is where it counts. So guys just believe it.'
Unlike in New York, where Tiafoe is the center of attention and a fan favorite, a scene he loves — 'There is so much anticipation; there's so much energy' — Paris, he said, presents 'a different vibe' and 'more of a low-key kind of thing.'
So far, so good.
Ben Shelton tries to stop the defending champion in Paris
There wasn't likely to be anything low key about Shelton vs. Alcaraz in the main stadium, Court Philippe-Chatrier. They are among the flashiest, most entertaining athletes in men's tennis at the moment.
Alcaraz is seeded No. 2. At 22, the same age as Shelton — who won an NCAA title for the University of Florida — Alcaraz already owns four Grand Slam titles, with at least one each on the clay at the French Open, the grass at Wimbledon and the hard courts at the U.S. Open.
'That's a pretty cool opportunity, pretty cool experience, that not a lot of people get or see in their lifetime,' said Shelton, a semifinalist at the U.S. Open in 2023 and the Australian Open in January but 2-2 at Roland-Garros before this year. 'For me, I'm definitely going to enjoy it and go out there and see what I can do, because I'm starting to gain some speed, gain a little bit of traction, on this surface and starting to see some of my best tennis. I like to think of myself as dangerous whenever I get to that place.'