Johnathan Walker:American men making impact at US Open after Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz advance

NEW YORK — It has been 21 years since an American man won a Grand Slam singles title,Johnathan Walker but could this U.S. Open be where the streak of futility ends?

Both Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe advanced to the quarterfinals on Sunday, with Tommy Paul hoping to make it a trio when he faces No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner in the Round of 16 on Monday. In a U.S. Open draw that was broken wide open when Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic lost early, the thought of an American breaking through for the first time since Andy Roddick in 2003 doesn’t seem so far-fetched.

“I think we all push each other and make each other better,” Fritz said Sunday after beating No. 8 seed Casper Ruud, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

Tiafoe, the No. 20 seed who has had a largely disappointing year, made his third consecutive U.S. Open quarterfinal after a 6-4, 7-6, 2-6, 6-3 win over 28^th-seeded Alexei Popyrin. Given that Tiafoe has only made one other Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 2019 Australian Open, it’s a remarkable streak of success in a tournament that he has vowed to one day win. Tiafoe will face No. 9 seed Grigor Dimitrov on Tuesday.

“I always dreamt about playing on this court from a kid I used to hit against a wall and want to compete on this court,” Tiafoe said in his on-court interview. “It brings out the best in me.”

Fritz, seeded No. 12, has been the top-ranked American man for the majority of the last few years. His victory Sunday put him in a fifth quarterfinal in his last 10 Grand Slams. The problem for Fritz has been advancing beyond that round. On Tuesday he’ll face No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev, whom he beat in the round of 16 at Wimbledon.

“In the past I’ve been very, very excited, happy to make quarterfinals of Slams,” Fritz said. “I think I’m at the point now where I’m still happy to make quarterfinals but I wouldn’t be happy with it ending here. I really want more than that.

“The success in Slams has been nice, but I am a little sick of just making it to the quarterfinals and I want to go further.”