In a disappointing night for American men’s tennis, none of the 16 players from the United States who were in the bracket at the start of the French Open are still in the field. Frances Tiafoe had the opportunity to extend his match against Alexander Zverev in the third round, but the 12th-seeded Tiafoe never got closer than two points to forcing things to a fifth set. After more than three and a half hours in Court Philippe Chatrier, the 22nd-seeded Zverev finished out his 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-1, 7-6 (5) victory to move on to the fourth round.
Tiafoe, a 25-year-old from Maryland, fell to 1-7 against Zverev but felt like he was in control for the majority of the match. Despite keeping close to Zverev, Tiafoe could not seem to break through and ultimately lost in four sets. Two other American men, No. 9 seed Taylor Fritz and unseeded Marcos Giron, also lost earlier that day. Fritz was defeated by No. 23 Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina, while Nicolas Jarry of Chile eliminated Giron.
This marks the second year in a row that no American men will participate in the fourth round at Roland Garros. For Tiafoe, getting to the fourth round is never the goal. He said, “I want to win the trophy.” It is worth noting that no American man has won a Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open.
In Saturday’s match, Tiafoe had the chance to serve for the fourth set at 5-3 but could not seal the deal. Each time Tiafoe came within two points of owning the set, Zverev claimed the very next point. When Tiafoe sent a forehand wide to end it, Zverev let out two big yells. Then the two, who have been friends for about 15 years, met for a warm embrace at the net, and Zverev placed a hand atop Tiafoe’s head.
Zverev’s win sets up a fourth-round match against No. 28 Grigor Dimitrov, who was a 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 winner over Germany’s Daniel Altmaier. In other men’s third-round matches, fourth-seeded Casper Ruud rallied to beat Zhang Zhizhen 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4, ending a strong run by the player from China.
Zhang was the first Chinese man to reach the third round at Roland Garros since Kho Sin-Khie in 1937. Kho also reached the fourth round in 1936, but that proved a step too far for Zhang despite a lightning start on Court Suzanne Lenglen. Zhang broke Ruud in the opening game and took the set as the Norwegian player grew more and more frustrated. Matters grew worse for Ruud as he found himself 0-40 down on his serve early in the second set, but he collected his emotions and went on to level the match. Ruud then improved in the last two sets and sealed the match with a forehand down the line on the first of two match points.
Holger Rune opened play on Court Philippe Chatrier on Saturday and comfortably dispatched qualifier Genaro Alberto Olivieri, who was the lowest-ranked player to reach the third round this year. Rune won 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 in less than two hours. It was harder work for Yoshihito Nishioka in his 3-6, 7-6 (8), 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory over Thiago Seyboth Wild. That was the 30th match at this year’s French Open that has gone to five sets. Also, Tomas Martin Etcheverry upset 15th-seeded Borna Coric, and Nicolas Jarry beat Marcos Giron.
Despite the American men’s disappointing performance at the French Open, there are still three U.S women remaining in the tournament: No. 6 Coco Gauff, Sloane Stephens, and Bernarda Pera. The women’s singles competition continues to be exciting, and fans are looking forward to seeing who will come out on top.
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