This year’s French Open is turning out to be a dream edition for American tennis. Especially the ATP pros who have kept the hopes alive for a possible chance to win a singles slam title since Andy Roddick’s US Open triumph back in 2003. After Tommy Paul’s heroics in the fourth round that made him the first American man since former great Andre Agassi in 2003 to enter the quarterfinals at the Roland Garros, compatriot Frances Tiafoe has joined the last eight as well. But he’s also earned a rare distinction while matching Agassi’s three-decade-old milestone on the Parisian clay.

In the fourth round battle on Sunday against Germany’s Daniel Altmaier, Tiafoe kept his unbeaten run going. For the uninitiated, he hasn’t lost a single set in his French Open campaign so far. He kept the record clean against Altmaier as well. Yes, there was a challenge in the third set when the result went into a tie-break. But he eventually came out victorious with a final score line of 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4).

Thanks to that, America will be seeing more than one man in the quarterfinals of the event for the first time since Pete Sampras and Jim Courier in 1996. The World No. 16 is also the first American man to enter the French Open quarterfinals without dropping a set. Before him, only Agassi was able to do it, back in the 1995 edition.

Tiafoe initially had no idea that he replicated Agassi’s three-decade-old feat. But when he did, the 27-year-old couldn’t be happier. In a post-match interaction with Bleacher Report, dated June 2, the 2022 US Open semifinalist reacted, “It’s a pretty crazy stat.”

Continuing further, he added, “Yeah, I mean I guess I just heard that and I’m pretty shocked about it, but I want to keep going.” Tiafoe asserted that the journey for him is not yet over. “As great as that is, it’s still a big opportunity out here and I just want to keep going. Worried about that.” Concluding his reaction, he mentioned Agassi saying, “I’ll definitely give Andre a text and be like, ‘I guess we are boys now.'” What makes qualifying for the quarterfinals of the tournament an even bigger personal success for Tiafoe is the fact that he has historically struggled on the Parisian clay,

Frances Tiafoe reveals key to his success at the 2025 French Open

It was in 2022 that Tiafoe won his maiden match at the French Open. Before that, he had gone 0-6. “On clay, I get a little more passive than on other surfaces, because the court doesn’t help me play as fast as I would like,” he said. “Patience is a thing I struggle with.”

However, before the start of the Roland Garros, last month, Frances Tiafoe was eager to kick off his campaign despite his preference for grass and hard courts, where, according to him, “tennis actually matters”. “Last tournament on clay, which I get really excited about,” he said in a pre-event press conference, as reported by Associated Press on June 2. After securing his QF ticket on Sunday, he reflected on what has been the reason behind his consistency lately. “Playing hard-court tennis on a clay court,” he revealed.

With his phenomenal run, he’s also silenced critics who predicted he would crash out early. “Overall, I’m a big believer it can all change in a week. When I’m backed up against it, it seems like I start to produce my best tennis, because I have to if I want to continue living the life I want to live,” he had said a little over a week ago. Needless to say, his words have aged really well.

What are your thoughts on Tiafoe’s prospects going forward at the French Open? Will he succeed in creating history for American tennis in Paris? Let us know in the comments below.