Shelton, Tiafoe, and Michelsen Lead American Men Into US Open Quarterfinals

Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, and Alex Michelsen all won in straight sets on Sunday to secure their spots in the US Open quarterfinals. This gives the U.S. its strongest presence at the back end of the tournament in decades, and many fans are excited. All four of Sunday’s men’s fourth-round matches featured an American player, and the host nation won three of them, with only Carlos Alcaraz spoiling the sweep by beating No. 20 seed Tommy Paul.

Ben Shelton

Shelton delivered his best performance of the tournament so far, dominating an unseeded but red-hot Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 to become the third American man to reach this year’s quarterfinal. However, this win sets up the tournament’s biggest remaining obstacle for Shelton, the two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Shelton isn’t shying away from the challenge, saying, “I’m excited for the battle. I’ve never played him here in New York, and obviously in the position that I want to be in.” Hopefully, Shelton will be able to rally behind the home crowd and push through to the semifinals, but it will likely require near-perfect execution from him.

Frances Tiafoe

Tiafoe outlasted No. 7 seed Daniil Medvedev in a three-set match that felt tighter than it was, ending 7-6(1), 6-4, 7-6(6). He picked up his sixth career top-10 win at a major in the process, and will now face fellow American Alex Michelsen in the quarterfinals, a matchup he’s excited for.

“I had no idea who this kid was,” Tiafoe said about Michelsen. “I could see his name, winning and winning... He’s funny, man. I’m excited to play him.”

Tiafoe also spoke about what it means to be playing deep into a home Slam. “We play so much outside of the States obviously, a lot of time in Europe,” he said. “This sport’s so international, so to be able to play in front of friends, family, loved ones, is amazing.”

It’s safe to say an American will reach the semifinals from this matchup, giving fans security that at least one player will keep the drought-ending hopes alive. Whether it’s Tiafoe or Michelsen, however, remains to be seen.

Alex Michelsen

Michelsen delivered the most statistically dominant win of the day, beating No. 27 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-4 without dropping a set all tournament. This was an impressive accomplishment for the unseeded 22-year-old, and it makes him the first unseeded man this century to reach the US Open quarterfinals with that distinction.

His serve has given every opponent trouble so far, winning at least 75% of his first-serve points in all four matches. “We’ve been working really hard to get to this point, and I'm really happy but not super surprised because of all the work I put in,” Michelsen said after reaching his first career Grand Slam quarterfinal.

He’ll now try to carry that momentum into an all-American clash with Frances Tiafoe, who may be his most difficult opponent yet. Regardless, at least one of the three American players left on the men’s side will have a chance of winning the US Open after this round.

Breaking a 23-Year Drought

This week’s success carries the weight of one of the sport’s longest droughts behind it. No U.S. man has won a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick’s 2003 US Open victory, and real opportunities to end that run have been rare over the last two decades.

This year, things are much different. The Americans had five men in the Round of 16 for the first time since 1995, and three of them are now two wins away from a final. Whether it’s Shelton pulling off the upset of the tournament against Alcaraz, or Tiafoe and Michelsen guaranteeing at least one American in the semifinals, the drought grows one step closer to ending each round.

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