Two American Men Reach the US Open Quarter-Finals

Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton are among the Americans through to the quarter-finals of the US Open, giving the home draw genuine depth at the business end of the tournament.

Shelton's reward is a meeting with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who reached the last eight with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win over Tommy Paul.

Why home players matter at this tournament specifically

The US Open's atmosphere is distinct among the four Grand Slams. The evening sessions in the main stadium are loud, partisan and comfortable being so, in a way the other majors largely are not.

That is worth something concrete to a home player. Crowd energy affects momentum in the passages of a match where momentum is genuinely fragile — a service game at 4-4, a tie-break, a set point saved.

Shelton's route to an upset

Against Alcaraz, the path is narrow but real. Shelton's serve is among the biggest in the men's game, and serving of that quality removes rallies from the equation.

Rallies are where Alcaraz constructs his advantage — his movement, variety and court coverage compound over the length of an exchange. A match played in short points on Shelton's terms is a fundamentally different contest from one played on Alcaraz's.

The difficulty is that the strategy has to work for three or four sets. Alcaraz is among the best returners in the sport, and holding serve against him for two hours is a considerable ask.

The state of American men's tennis

Multiple men in the quarter-finals of the home Slam represents a healthier position than the American game held for much of the past two decades, when it went long stretches without a serious contender at the majors.

What has not yet followed is a men's Grand Slam title. That remains the measure the American game is judged against.

The schedule

The tournament runs to 13 September, when the men's final is played.