The 4 American men with most US Open quarter-finals this century: Frances Tiafoe emulates legends
Frances Tiafoe is a different player in New York.
There is no doubt he finds his best tennis in the US, with his runs to finals in Houston and Cincinnati among the only highlights of what had been a tricky season to this point.
However, in front of his home crowd at the US Open, the 20th seed is back firing at all cylinders – something we’ve come used to seeing at the fourth and final major of the year.
Tiafoe is now in a third US Open quarter-final, a tally that only three other American men this century can so far claim to match.
Frances Tiafoe: 3
Tiafoe has not only now reached three US Open quarter-finals – he’s reached them all in consecutive years.
The 26-year-old reached his first quarter-final at Flushing Meadows in 2022, beating second seed Rafael Nadal in the round of 16 before victory over Andrey Rublev fired him into the semi-final.
A year ago, he again reached the last eight, dropping just one set in his first four matches before tasting a four-set defeat to compatriot Ben Shelton.
However, he avenged his defeat to Shelton in the third round earlier this fortnight and beat Alexei Popyrin to book a quarter-final date versus Grigor Dimitrov.
Pete Sampras: 3
A winner of five US Open titles, Sampras played the event three times in the 2000s and reached the quarter-final every time.
In fact, the tennis icon reached the final in all three of those showings.
Searching for a fifth title, he was beaten by Marat Safin in the 2000 final, before tasting a similar defeat to Lleyton Hewitt 12 months later.
However, in the final tournament of his career, Sampras stormed to his 14th major in 2002, defeating enduring rival Andre Agassi for a record-equalling fifth crown.
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Andre Agassi: 5
Agassi’s greatest moments at his home Slam came in the 1990s, winning his two US Open titles in 1994 and 1999.
However, the eight-time major winner reached five straight quarter-finals in New York in the early 2000s.
Agassi reached the last eight in 2001, losing to Sampras in four sets, and then fell to his greatest rival in the 2002 final – the last meeting between the two.
The former world No 1 reached the quarter-finals in 2003 and semi-finals in 2004 before progressing to his last Grand Slam final in 2005, falling to Roger Federer.
Andy Roddick: 8
The last American man to win a Grand Slam title and reach world No 1, Roddick’s eight quarter-finals at the US Open put him well clear of any other US male player post-2000.
Roddick was still a teenager when he reached his first quarter-final in 2001, falling to eventual champion Hewitt, before losing to Sampras at that stage in 2002.
The following year Roddick would claim his sole Slam in New York, defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final, before falling in the last eight of his title defence in 2004.
Following a shock round one exit in 2005, he returned to the final in 2006 – falling to Federer – and then reached back-to-back quarter-finals in 2007 and 2008, before a final such run in 2011.
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