Several American players from both tours are battling it out at Roland Garros, as ATP and WTA stars from the US aim to clinch a Grand Slam title in Paris.
There have been some upsets among the Americans at the French Open, with world number four Taylor Fritz crashing out in the first round to Daniel Altmaier.
On the women’s side, Emma Navarro also suffered a shocking defeat in round one to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain.
US number one Coco Gauff advanced to the third round with her victory over Tereza Valentova, while Jessica Pegula marched on after beating Ann Li.
Among the strong American presence at Roland Garros, tennis legend Chris Evert has noticed a change in performance from her compatriots recently.
Chris Evert notices two changes among American tennis players
Speaking on TNT Sports about the dominance of Americans in women’s tennis, Evert stated: “The men have caught up.”
“For a while it was the women who were dominant in tennis but now I look at players like Tommy Paul and the other top male players, they have really risen to the top.”
“I think the USTA has really emphasised this. Get on the clay. US players are known for their hard-court prowess, because the US Open is on hard court, but I think everyone is pushing the clay courts now because they are really valuing the French Open and playing on clay and winning on clay.
“I think that has really helped the women as well. It also shows that on clay you can still have a big, aggressive, explosive game, and if you can move well and play defence, if you have the whole picture, you are going to do well on the clay.”
All of the American players still left in the French Open
Despite early exits for Fritz and Navarro, there are still plenty of Americans remaining in the Roland Garros main draw.
American WTA players still in the French Open as of Friday, the 30th of May:
- Amanda Anisimova
- Bernarda Pera
- Madison Keys
- Sofia Kenin
- Coco Gauff
- Hailey Baptiste
- Jessica Pegula
American ATP players still in the French Open as of Friday, the 30th of May:
- Tommy Paul
- Ben Shelton
- Francis Tiafoe
- Ethan Quinn
Anisimova was the first US player to book her spot in the fourth round, where she will face world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
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