When an under-the-weather Novak Djokovic stumbled and fell in the first round of the U.S. Open to Mariano Navone in five sets, the crack in the wall for the men of the United States seemingly broke wide open for a long-awaited run in New York.
The upset of Djokovic included the world No. 5 losing his pre-match meal courtside, a feeling that might reflect exactly how a lot of fans of U.S. tennis go through when watching Grand Slam action on the men’s side.
Close losses, comebacks that fall short, blowouts and other non-competitive matches in major moments have plagued U.S. men since Andy Roddick last won the U.S. Open in 2003.
In fact, No. 9-seeded Taylor Fritz’s come-from-ahead loss on Saturday was emblematic of the kind of failures the U.S. men have experienced at Slams.
Fritz frittered away a two-set lead in a jaw-dropping 3–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 loss to No. 24 Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina in the third round.
The moral of the story is what American No. 11 Frances Tiafoe said about the path seemingly being clear.
“Yeah, I mean, all the Slams I’ve lost this year wasn’t I wasn’t concerned with [Jannik] Sinner or [Carlos] Alcaraz. I didn’t lose to them; I lost to the field,” Tiafoe said after his third-round victory on Friday.
“So, I think the same thing. I mean, you’ve got to beat the guys in front of you, and if you get those types of matchups, then OK, handle that when you get there.
“But [for] the tournament, it’s pretty much irrelevant. It’s all about just beating the guy in front of you and trying to just continue to advance and see how guys handle the pressure as you get later.
“You know, fourth round, we’re starting the second week, and we’ll see how guys kind of handle it as we go.”
Sinner, the top-ranked player in the world, had to withdraw from the U.S. Open before the tourney because of a knee injury.
Tiafoe is sixth all-time among American men in reaching the second week at the U.S. Open, according to ESPN Research.
He punched his way into the quarterfinals with an efficient takedown of No. 7 Daniil Medvedev in three sets—which included two tiebreaks—in their fourth-round match on Sunday.
No. 20 Tommy Paul of the U.S. was a semifinalist at the 2023 Australian Open and is a three-time ATP champion on the hard court.
But he went up against Alcaraz in the fourth round, and the 29-year-old had no answer for the swashbuckling Spaniard, falling in straight sets in which he won a total of 11 games.
Ben Shelton (US) reacts against Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece during their Men’s Singles Fourth Round match of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Sept. 6, 2026. (Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images)
“I mean, difficult. I think, to win the biggest tournament in any sport—it’s very hard,” Paul said during his post-match media availability after reaching the second week.
“I mean it’s two long weeks of tennis, and long matches, and you’re playing against the best players. And obviously, we have a little extra pressure because you guys always tell us that we haven’t won a Slam in whatever, 23 years.
“And then we’re also at home soil, where we want to do well and put expectations on ourselves.”
Even amid high expectations with the nation backing them, Paul said the players themselves appear to be confident someone will break through.
“It’s a tough task, but I’ve talked to the guys in the locker room; everyone feels pretty good, you know? I mean if not this year it’s going to happen soon,” Paul said.
“And I think it’s super exciting. You can ask whoever wins the next Slam—whatever American wins the next Slam—ask him about his journey, I guess.”
No. 8 Ben Shelton has had an uneven tournament but rolled into the quarterfinals by slamming two-time Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets on Sunday.
Tsitsipas had nothing working, winning just nine games during the match. Shelton next takes on Alcaraz, who is just returning from injury, as the Americans try to line up their best against the world No. 3.
No. 14 Learner Tien is coming in under the radar.
Tien reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open earlier this year and captured his second career ATP title in Geneva in the spring.
He has a chance to reach the quarters, needing to get past Russian Karen Khachanov.
Alex Michelsen is among the group but entered the tourney with the fewest wins on his resume.
The 22-year-old made a run to the fourth round at the Aussie Open but has been inconsistent since.
He topped No. 27 Tomas Etcheverry to remain the only man who hasn’t dropped a set at the tournament.
He and Tiafoe set up a U.S.-on-U.S. clash, slated for Tuesday for a spot in the semifinals.
