The much-documented American men’s tennis drought of winning a Grand Slam is ongoing, but six US men are still in the Australian Open, hoping to change the narrative. Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul lead the way, but Ben Shelton, Marcos Giron, and Alex Michelsen are also in it to win it.
Here is a sneak peek at what lies ahead for these men.
Taylor Fritz vs. Gael Monfils
This is a get-your-popcorn-ready match. Gael Monfils is healthy and has turned back time. The 38-year-old is playing outstanding tennis winning the ASB Classic last week. Taylor Fritz continues to play well, an extension from his maiden 2024 US Open finals appearance. Fritz leads the head-to-head 1-0 with a win at their last meeting six years ago at the 2019 Australian Open.
Fritz BLITZ ⚡️@Taylor_Fritz97 has dropped just 8 games to reach the third round!@AustralianOpen #AO2025 pic.twitter.com/lgbgLZ88gi
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 16, 2025
Tommy Paul vs. Roberto Carballes Baena
Tommy Paul overcame a tough draw to advance to the third round. He had Australian Chris O’Connell who pushed him to five sets in the first round and steely veteran Kei Nishikori took him to four sets.
Tommy Paul plays a fantastic match to beat Kei Nishikori 6-7(3), 6-0, 6-3, 6-1 and reach the 3rd round at the #AusOpen, in a match that had moments of brilliance — love the match up.
Paul hit 57 winners and 28 unforced errors. That’s HOW GOOD he was. pic.twitter.com/w7jc5fU93b
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) January 15, 2025
Roberto Carballes Baena should be a slightly easier opponent, but Grand Slam tennis is unpredictable.
Ben Shelton vs. Lorenzo Musetti
Ben Shelton will need his A-game to get past the Italian Musetti, the higher-seeded player. Shelton is 0-2 in his career against Musetti with losses in 2023 and 2024 in Queens Club and Miami respectively.
Papa Muse 🇮🇹@Lorenzo1Musetti edges Ben Shelton 6-4 7-6 to set a round of 16 clash with Carlos Alcaraz at #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/7Sp9OBd8YG
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 26, 2024
Marcos Giron and Alex Michelsen
Giron and Michelsen are probably the long shots to overcome the American Grand Slam curse. However, they advanced further in the tournament than their counterparts Frances Tiafoe and Sebastian Korda.
Marcos Giron has the unsavory third-round matchup against World No. 1 and Australian Open defending champion Jannik Sinner in the third round. Giron and Sinner met one previous time in Shanghai in 2023 with Sinner emerging as the straight sets (best of three) winner.
Alex Michelsen, who upset Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round, faces Karen Khacahanov in the next round.
Learner Tien
And last, but not least, the newest name in American tennis is 19-year-old Learner Tien. Tien is now a household name because he took out three-time Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev in an instant classic.
Learner becomes the teacher 📖
At 3:00am, 19-year-old qualifier Learner Tien stuns three-time finalist Medvedev!#AusOpen • #AO2025 pic.twitter.com/OclYIIWOPr
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 16, 2025
