The US Open is rapidly nearing its conclusion, and American women can once again hold their heads high at the Grand Slam.
Much attention has unsurprisingly been on American players at the tournament, which is now well underway in New York.
But not all have thrived under the pressure and the expectations placed on their shoulders, with many suffering hugely disappointing exits at the US Open.
Coco Gauff and Madison Keys were under the spotlight in particular, having won the French Open and Australian Open respectively earlier this year.
But they failed to deliver on home soil, with Gauff losing in the US Open fourth round after Keys suffered a shock exit in round one.
American women continue to excel at the US Open as semifinals arrive
In general, however, the American WTA stars have still managed to outshine their compatriots on the ATP Tour once more.
And that should really worry the powers that be in American tennis, whose blushes have once again been spared by their female players.
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As per OptaAce, two American women have reached the US Open semifinals for three years in a row for the first time since 2002-2004.
Pegula and Anisimova are flying the flag for their nation this time around, with the former having also achieved the feat last season.
She was joined in the final four in 2024 by Emma Navarro, while Coco Gauff and Madison Keys reached that stage in 2023.
The current stars have impressively followed in the footsteps of legendary figures Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport and Jennifer Capriati.
American men struggle to perform on home soil at the US Open
Not only has the continued excellence of American women this season highlighted how strong that scene currently is, but it has also highlighted the struggles of their male counterparts.
Remarkably, an American man last won a Grand Slam 22 years ago, when Andy Roddick lifted the US Open trophy high all the way back in 2003.
That worrying drought will now move up to 23 years, with no American men making the US Open semifinals this year.
Taylor Fritz, last year’s runner-up, has once again come closest, but even he fell at the quarterfinal stage this time around.
He deserves praise for again leading the way for his nation, but the overarching feeling from American fans will be one of concern.
And worryingly, much like it was when Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic previously dominated the men’s Grand Slam scene, their fellow Europeans Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are now doing the same.
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