The Australian Open is entering its latter stages, and there are plenty of top seeds still left in the men’s draw.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz, in pursuit of a Career Grand Slam, has yet to put a foot wrong at Melbourne Park, with the Spaniard winning all of his matches in straight sets so far.
His rival and defending champion, Jannik Sinner, is also into round four, despite a near scare in his match with Eliot Spizzirri, during which he suffered cramp in brutal heat.
Were the Australian Open wrong to allow Jannik Sinner time off court when he was cramping?
Both Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic, seeded third and fourth respectively, remain in the competition, while fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti is also still going.
There is a strong Italian presence in the round of 16, however no country has more players left in the Australian Open than the US.
American men in Melbourne achieve incredible feat
Taylor Fritz, Learner Tien, Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton are flying the American flag high Down Under.
Spizzirri, Frances Tiafoe and Ethan Quinn were close to joining them in the fourth round, but failed to advance.
Fritz beat Stan Wawrinka to move on, while Shelton continued his hot run of form against Valentin Vacherot to book his place in the next stage of the tournament.
Paul made round four via a walkover against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and 20-year-old Tien defeated Nuno Borges to match his best Grand Slam finish.
For the first time since 1997, four Americans have reached the men’s singles round of 16 at the Australian Open in consecutive seasons, according to Opta Ace.
Last year, Shelton, Tien, Paul and Alex Michelsen all reached the fourth round.
The last American man to win a Grand Slam title
On the women’s side, America has enjoyed plenty of success at Grand Slams over the past quarter of a century, with the Williams sisters leading the way.
The men, however, have endured a lengthy dry spell, with the country not seeing an ATP player emerge victorious at a major since 2003.
Who has been the best player at the Australian Open so far?
Andy Roddick was the last man from the US to hoist a Grand Slam trophy in singles, which he managed at the US Open that season.
Roddick, seeded fourth at Flushing Meadows in 2003, beat Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final to win it all in front of a home crowd.
Fritz came close to ending the drought at the US Open in 2024, but he was beaten by Sinner.
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