Much has been made about the struggles of American male tennis players in the last decade. While American women have seen dominance with the Williams sisters as well as Sloane Stephens winning the US Open in 2017. The men have not seen a grand slam winner since 2003, when both Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi captured slam titles. American men went eight years between even appearing in in a slam semifinal when Sam Querrey made the 2017 Wimbledon semis. Though still lacking a serious top contender, American men’s tennis is as deep as it has been in a long time, and that talent has been on display in the first round here in Melbourne.
Overview of American Men
An American is unlikely to take home the trophy at the Australian Open, but the depth of players is strong. Eight Americans are currently ranked in the top 100, tied for the third most of any country, trailing only France and Spain. Each of those eight players made the trip to Melbourne, along with four others who made the main draw. Eight of those twelve were in action on Tuesday. Five of them emerged victorious, and two of the three losses were to Top 15 players. These winners join Sam Querrey, who upset #25 seed Borna Coric, in the second round, giving the U.S. a respectable six players appearing in Round 2. The youth of this crop of American players is also of note, with three of the six winners being just 22 years old.
Reilly Opelka and Frances Tiafoe
Although they did not win, Reilly Opelka and Frances Tiafoe, the third and fifth ranked Americans respectively, both played solid tennis after being dealt unlucky draws. Both players are ranked in the Top 50 but not high enough to earn a seed. Tiafoe drew the dominant US Open finalist and #4 seed Daniil Medvedev and was able to take a set before losing in four. Opelka had worse luck. Missing out on a seed by just two ranking spots, he drew #12 seed Fabio Fognini in the first round. Opelka seemed to be on his way to victory, but after winning the first two sets the match was suspended due to rain. Tuesday was a different story with Fognini coming back and winning in the fifth set supertiebreak. Both players do have a lot to improve on, and with their ages are sure to contend in future Slams.
Victorious Americans on Day 2
John Isner
In vintage John Isner fashion, Isner defeated Brazilian Thiago Montiero in a four set match consisting of all tiebreaks and zero breaks of serve. Isner has been by far the most successful American of the decade, highlighted by his title in Miami in 2018, becoming one of only two Americans to win a Masters 1000 series tournament since 2010. His success and many weeks spent in the top-10 have not transferred into results at slams, reaching the quarterfinals or better just three times in his career. None of those have come at the Australian Open, where he has oddly struggled. He has an excellent draw facing Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo, and is the best chance of a deep run in the tournament by an American.
Taylor Fritz
Fritz is one of two seeded Americans in Australia and his play Tuesday showed it was well earned. He dispatched qualifier Tallon Griekspoor in just one hour and 26 minutes by a score of 6-3 6-3 6-3. The 22-year-old did not drop serve at all, and faced only two break points all match. He will play the big serving Kevin Anderson in round two, who has had recent success at majors, but will be vulnerable coming off injury, giving Fritz a favorable matchup. Fritz has long been heralded as the next American star, and his breakthrough could very well come this week in Australia.
Tommy Paul
Tommy Paul’s four set win over Leo Mayer continued his steady rise over the last year. He broke into the top 100 for the first time in September, and rose to #80 when he arrived in Melbourne. The win Tuesday was his first career win in the main draw of a slam, a massive step forward for any player. Paul is fun to watch, and combined with his fun personality makes him a likeable player fans will get behind as he gains more recognition. He faces a tough test in round two against US Open semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov, but Paul has shown tremendous improvement and can play freely with little to lose in hopes of an upset.
Tennys Sandgren
Sandgren returns to the site of his magical quarterfinal run in 2018 with another strong start. He beat qualifier Marco Trungelliti in straight sets, also not dropping serve the entire match. Sandgren has struggled to match the form he showed in 2018 in Melbourne, but has played solid tennis on the ATP Challenger Tour. He has a very tough draw against US Open semifinalist Matteo Berrettini in the second round. However, top players were no trouble for him two years ago defeating Dominic Thiem and Stan Wawrinka. Sandgren, unlike many of the others, is a journeyman who peaked late in his career, and will try to enjoy another surprising deep run in Melbourne.
Michael Mmoh
Mmoh, like Paul, also earned his first main draw win at a Slam Tuesday. He defeated veteran Spaniard Pablo Andujar in convincing 6-1 6-4 6-4 fashion. Mmoh’s strong groundstrokes were on full display, showing his potential which he has struggled to reach. Mmoh earned a wild card through the USTA Wild Card Challenge and has already made the most of it. His ranking sits outside the top 200, struggling to find consistent success. He unfortunately faces #9 seed Roberto Bautista Agut, who is difficult opponent for any player in the world. Regardless of his second round result, Mmoh will hope this win can springboard his season and career.
