cnn
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For quite some time, American men have been threatening to break through into the tennis elite, and at this year's US Open, it seems the time has finally come.
For the first time since 2005, three Americans advanced to the quarterfinals of the men's draw. It also meant that at least one American star was guaranteed access to the semifinals.
Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton were the trio that still dreamed of winning a Grand Slam at home. Since Andy Roddick in 2003, an American has not won the US Open.
Shelton will be the American to advance to the semifinals, having defeated Tiafoe 6-2 3-6 7-6(7) 6-2 early Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, Fritz lost his quarterfinal match that same day to 23-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
Andre Agassi, James Blake and Robby Ginepri were the previous American triumvirate to reach the quarterfinals of the men's competition. On that occasion, 18 years ago, Agassi reached the final before being defeated by Roger Federer.
With Djokovic and Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz still in the draw, the likelihood of a homegrown winner this year remains small, though not impossible.
World No. 9 Fritz said morale in the U.S. group was high and that seeing others succeed helped motivate his own performance.
“I've said it for a long time, every time one of us does something, accomplishes something, it makes everyone else feel like they can do it too,” he said, according to the US Open website.
Fritz, who has established himself within the Top 10 over the last year, certainly had the tougher opponent on Tuesday.
In Djokovic, he faced arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, but the 25-year-old American had said he would not be overwhelmed by the occasion.
“I'm not going to exaggerate. “I'm not going to do anything different because I'm playing against Novak,” he told reporters after reaching the quarterfinals.
“I'm going to play my game, play within myself and trust that if I play well, that's enough.”
Both Taifoe and Shelton faced a very different type of challenge.
The couple knows each other well. In his bid to reach a second consecutive US Open semi-final, world No. 10 Tiafoe was the likely favorite for the clash, having lost just one set in the tournament before Tuesday night.
His 20-year-old opponent, however, certainly had the skills to cause Tiafoe problems. The young man has a powerful serve and an impressive forehand.
“It's a great game. This is Bugs Bunny. He has crazy energy, endless energy,” Tiafoe told reporters about facing Shelton.
“He will come after me and I will go after him. It's going to be a great battle, we're going to compete very hard.”
Shelton defeated fellow American Tommy Paul to reach his first US Open quarterfinal. The result at the time equaled his best run at a Grand Slam, having reached the same stage at the Australian Open earlier this year.
It is further evidence of his impressive rise from outside the Top 100 last year to his current position as World No. 47.
“I really learned to be mentally tough,” Shelton said before the match against Tiafoe, explaining how he has improved since the Australian Open.
“When I was playing in Australia after a long week, I would look at my box and say, 'My legs are dead.' I'm tired. I can't go anymore.'
“I realized how important it is for me to believe in myself, to believe that I can go all the way, all the distance, emotionally and physically, and now I have that belief here.”
