Once led by legends like Pete Sampras and the Williams sisters, American tennis hit a quiet patch. But now, the stars are back. The resurgence is real. On the women’s tour, Sofia Kenin took the 2020 Australian Open. Then Coco Gauff stormed to the 2023 US Open title. Madison Keys finally grabbed her maiden Grand Slam at the 2025 Australian Open. But it’s not just them. The men are rising too. Taylor Fritz reached the 2024 US Open final. Frances Tiafoe keeps making deep runs. Ben Shelton has wowed fans with semifinal showings at the 2023 US Open and the 2025 Australian Open. This new generation isn’t just competing—they’re redefining American tennis.

Now, as the French Open heads into its fourth round, some Americans are making history! Tennis journalist Bastien Fachan couldn’t help but share the excitement: “There will be eight Americans in the Roland-Garros second week, the most this century!” Who’s in this electric lineup?

To start, 2022 runner-up Gauff is into her seventh Grand Slam fourth round. She’s the youngest American to do it since Venus Williams, who pulled it off nine times in a row from 1997 to 1999! Jessica Pegula followed up with a thrilling three-set win over 2023 Wimbledon champ Marketa Vondrousova. Then there’s 2025 AO champion Madison Keys. And that’s not all! Amanda Anisimova and Hailey Baptiste are also flying the flag on the WTA side.

What about the men? Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton, and Frances Tiafoe are all showing their best clay-court form this season. The 2025 campaign has been their strongest at Roland Garros yet. It’s only looking up, especially for Shelton, who just finished as runner-up at the Munich Open last month!

Before this year, the last time three American men reached the French Open fourth round was in 1995—Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, and Jim Courier. That’s nearly three decades ago! But this year, the Americans have outdone themselves.

At the start of the tournament, the American singles contingent made 21st-century history at Roland Garros 2025. Twenty-two players—14 women and 8 men—advanced to the second round. That’s the largest U.S. presence in round two since 1994. The surge is especially notable among the women. Fourteen Americans matched the 1987 record and came close to the all-time mark set in 1986.

The competition only gets tougher from here! Will these players push through and set another milestone? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, Jessica Pegula can’t help but take a playful dig at her ATP comrades.

Pegula pokes fun at the American men at Roland Garros

After her victory over Marketa Vondrousova, Jessica was asked about the American men’s chances at the tournament. At first, she had to double-check who was still in. “Well, who are there? Frances, Tommy, Ben,” she said, as a reporter pointed out this was the biggest group of American men in the fourth round in thirty years.

Pegula couldn’t help but laugh, “About time,” before adding, “Tommy and I share physios, so I am always keeping up with him and what he is doing, and he’s won two crazy five-set matches.” She went on, “But no, it’s exciting to see. Obviously you want to see your fellow countrymen do well on the other side. I’m always keeping up to them quite a lot. Yeah, I hope they keep going… Nice, cool. Hope they keep it going.”

Tommy Paul, in particular, has been a real fighter this tournament. He hasn’t exactly breezed through, but he’s managed to pull off some gutsy wins in five-set thrillers. Even if he’s not at his absolute best, he’s finding a way to stay in the hunt, and that’s what counts at this stage. The American men are making headlines, and the energy is electric!

On the women’s side, the Americans are absolutely on fire—especially Coco Gauff, who’s still racking up wins at just 21! After a dominant opening match against Olivia Gadecki, taking it 6-2, 6-2, Gauff set a new French Open record. She became the youngest American in the Open Era to notch 20 women’s singles wins at Roland Garros, even beating her idol Serena Williams to that milestone. And with her seventh fourth-round appearance at a Grand Slam, she’s now in elite company alongside Venus Williams.

Don’t sleep on Hailey Baptiste, either! She’s been building momentum, reaching the third round in Madrid and taking down some big names like Anna Blinkova and Liudmila Samsonova. Now, she’s set up an all-American battle in the fourth round with Keys!

With the next round looming, the big question is: can these American stars keep the magic going? It’s been a decade since Serena Williams last won the French Open in 2015, and even longer since Andre Agassi’s 1999 triumph. Is this the year an American lifts the trophy again? Let’s see—drop your thoughts in the comments!