PARIS — Expectations were high for the red, white and blue players at Roland Garros after a relatively strong season on clay and a large number of seeded players.
Defending champion Coco Gauff had reached the final in Rome earlier this month. Ben Shelton became the first compatriot to win a 500-level land title in Munich in April, and just last week Lerner Tien won his first clay title in Geneva.
Six men and five women advanced to the third round in Paris, the most since 1993, with all competing on Friday and Saturday. But the tournament was sweltering and chaotic, with a notable upset of 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic. And Americans largely struggled as well.
Entering Week 2, only three American players remain in the singles draw: Madison Keys, Francis Tiafoe, and Zachary Sweida. Keys and Tiafoe have had deep records in the majors, but this was a complete surprise for Sweida. After several Americans lost, Sweida became the first American to reach the fourth round, but he couldn’t believe he had a chance to be the last of his countrymen.
“That would be amazing,” he said. “You know, I feel like I’m dreaming right now. In a dream. It’s crazy.”
All three will next play on Monday for a chance to advance to the quarterfinals. Gauff, like last year, became the last American to lift the trophy in Paris, but no man has done so since Andre Agassi in 1999. Will things be different this year? Depending on how things progress, that could be the case.
Here’s a look at the American finalists, how they got here, and what’s next for them.
No.19 Madison Keys
Players defeated so far: Hanne van de Winkel, Antonia Ruzic, 9th place Victoria Mboko
Next is No.25 Diana Schneider
Best result so far at Roland Garros: Semi-finals (2018)
Keyes, 31, is a major champion who won in Australia last year and previously reached the semifinals in Paris, but few would have chosen her to be the last remaining American woman at the start of the tournament because she hadn’t had the preparation they expected.
She missed last month’s Madrid Open due to illness and had to withdraw during the final of the Paris 125K earlier this month due to a thigh injury. The same injury forced her to withdraw from Strasbourg the following week. However, despite this, Keys had an impressive performance at Roland Garros. She capitulated in just three games in the opening round, ending a strong start before coming away with a 6-3, 5-7, 7-5 victory over Mboko.
“It was a super tough game, as expected,” Keys said Saturday night. “I think I’m very happy that I was able to rebound after the second set and get back in a winning position. Sometimes that’s the hardest thing to do, so I think overall that’s what makes me the happiest.”
Keys’ overall record against Schneider is 3-0, including a thriller three-set win in Brisbane earlier this season that went to a tiebreak in all sets. They have never met on clay. With a win on Monday, Keys will advance to the quarterfinals for the second consecutive season and third time in his career.
When asked about the struggles many American players had in the third round, Keys said he was unfazed by it and was characteristically optimistic.
“I don’t think I’ve ever thought about it, to be honest,” she said. “I think it’s always great when everyone’s good, but it felt like there was so much going on today and we had some really long, crazy games. It was kind of hard to really stay on top of what was going on.”
“So there’s always Wimbledon. Americans can redeem themselves at Wimbledon.”
No.19 Francis Tiafoe
Players defeated so far: Elliott Spizzilli, Hubert Hurkas, Jaime Faria
Next up is Matteo Arnaldi.
Best previous result at Roland Garros: Quarterfinals (2025)
In the first two sets of Tiafoe’s third-round match against qualifier Faria, it looked like he would join many of his colleagues in making an early exit. But between late Saturday night and Sunday morning, amid chaos and fireworks outside the ground after Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League, Tiafoe found a way to fight back.
The 28-year-old won a marathon game 4-4 in the third set, survived the tiebreak and dominated the rest of the match. Four hours later, he won 4-6, 6-7(2), 7-6(4), 6-1, 6-2, despite a comment to his opponent to “don’t act tough” during a tense moment.
Tiafoe, a two-time U.S. Open semifinalist who had never advanced beyond the third round, reached the quarterfinals for the first time last year at Roland Garros. He returned for the second week and became the first American to reach the last 16 in consecutive years at the tournament since Agassi in 2001, 2002 and 2003.
With many favorites, such as Djokovic and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, absent, Tiafoe will seize a great opportunity and look to continue his run. First, he needs to get past Arnaldi, who is currently 104th in the rankings but is finding his rhythm on clay at the right time. The two have met twice before, with one win each, with Arnaldi winning the only meeting on clay in Madrid last year.
Zachary Sweida
Players defeated so far: Alexei Popyrin, Adam Walton, 25th place Francisco Cerundro
Next up is No.10 Flavio Cobolli
Best result ever at Roland Garros: First main draw appearance
Svajda is also in the French Open, although he is unlikely to make it to the fourth round. The world No. 85 has never made the cut in his past three appearances. The 23-year-old wasn’t on everyone’s radar, and no one would have expected him to be one of the final two American men in the draw.
But now he is the fifth American player in the past 40 years to advance to the second week of his main draw debut at Roland Garros, joining Jim Courier, Todd Martin, Michael Russell and Sebastian Korda.
Although he didn’t win a clay title like Shelton or Tien (both are now eliminated), Sweida had an impressive season. Playing through grief after his father passed away from cancer in the fall, he made his main draw debut by qualifying at the Australian Open, won the Challenger title in his hometown of San Diego, and reached the round of 16 at Delray Beach in February, breaking into the top 100 for the first time.
On Saturday, his father’s birthday, he won the first two sets against Cerundolo, but then dropped a level. However, she took control in the fifth set, breaking Cerundro’s serve twice early on to take a 4-1 lead. He won 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 and fell to the ground in joy. He later told reporters he had not yet fully processed it.
“I’m definitely shocked, certainly surprised,” Sweida said. “I haven’t started rolling yet. It’s crazy. I’m just taking it all in. You know, I knew I would be good on clay. I thought maybe in a few years, but right now I didn’t expect it. I’m very grateful and blessed and I’m just taking it all in.”
Sweida, who earned around $332,000 after reaching the round of 16 in Paris, is expected to more than double his annual income and move into the top 60 for the first time. If he defeats Koboli, who defeated Tien in straight sets in the third round, there is a high possibility that he will move significantly into the top 50.
Svaida and Koboli previously met once in the Round of 16 in Delray Beach in 2024. Koboli won the match in three sets 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-2.
While he may have previously been best known for stealing a set from Djokovic at the US Open in August, Sweida has more than made a name for himself at this tournament and is in a good position for the rest of the season no matter what happens after Monday.
