Number 12 Seed Tommy Paul, No. 13 Seed Ben Shelton and No. 15 Seed Frances Tiafo won on Friday to ensure that at least three US Paris would reach 16 rounds of the French Open at Rolland Garos in Paris.
Paul won five-seater for the second straight round, defeated Russian number 24 Seed Karen Khachanov in 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7), 3-6, 6-3 four hours and seven minutes. In the previous round, Paul launched Hungary’s Marten Fukasovics 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.
Paul’s biggest rival has a lower stomach injury, fighting for most of the tournament. But after defeating Khachanov, he joked reporters that he felt “like one lakh rupees”.
“I like this stuff, it’s very fun, playing here, honestly,” said Paul. “Not all matches are four hours long, but it was a terrible fight on both ends of the court. We both played well and that’s all.”
Facing a difficult third-round opponent in Khachanov, Paul won 69 out of 100 first-service points, saved 9 out of 15 break points and changed 12 out of 12 opportunities to break Russian service.
Paul’s next match will be against Australia’s number 25 Seed Alexi Popirin, who finished 6-4, 7-6 (11), 7-6 (5) of Portugal.
Meanwhile, Tiafo won an all-American matchup against number 23 seed Sebastian Corda 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-4.
“I think we are all pushing each other and working hard,” Tiafo said about the current crop of American male tennis stars. “The game has a window, a lot of people see a lot of opportunities and it helps when you see colleagues doing good. It’s a commonness that we are going deep into the slam and taking a look, it’s not surprising now.”
Although Tiafo arrived in the US Open semi -finals in 2022 and 2024, he enjoyed low success in other Grand Slam and marks for the first time to reach the fourth round in Rolland Garos. The next Germany’s Daniel Altamier for Tiafo, a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, Serbian Hamad is 6-2 winners on Medjodevic.
Shelton won the Italian qualifier Matio Gigante 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, hitting 37 out of 47 first-service points (78.7 per cent) on the way and on the way.
In 16 of the three Americans, Shelton has the most difficult task: the fourth round date with the number 2 seed Carlos Alakraj.
Spaniad stumbled a little in the third set before finishing Bosnia and Dazumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina 6–1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
Italy’s No. 8 Seed Lorenzo Mussetti left a set before 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 of Argentina. Denmark’s No. 10 Seed Holgar Run carried the envelope even further, lagging back 4-6, 6–2, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 to Frenchman Quentin Hiles.
-Bield level media
