An American Dream: Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe make history with 28-year wait over

Jessica Pegula quipped when asked about the American men having success that it's about time jokingly but despite Ben Shelton falling to Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul are certainly living that American dream.

Tiafoe before the tournament began wrote off his chances saying that he was looking forward to the tennis that matters explicitly the grass and the hard court season.

But in reality he was made to eat humble pie after his latest win. “Last tournament on clay, which I get really excited about,” Tiafoe quipped before the tournament. “And then we get on the real stuff, the grass and the summer hard courts — where tennis actually matters.”

But ironically it is the clay that he might have his best results of the year on and he might have a different point of view now. He saw off Daniel Altmaier to reach the Quarter-Finals on Sunday night 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) joining his compatriot Tommy Paul.

Paul defeated Alexei Popyrin pretty easily 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in less than two hours. He now goes up against Alcaraz and aims for American revenge after the Spaniard defeated Shelton. Alcaraz won 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4

No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula and Hailey Baptiste facing Madison Keys anchor the women.

It is the first time that the country has more than one man in the Quarter-Finals since 1996. Back then it was Jim Courier and Peter Sampras. Zero men had made it this fear since Andre Agassi in 2003. So Paul was the first and made his own slice of history albeit it was further history made when Tiafoe sealed the win.

Next up will be a lot tougher. As of time of writing, the victor of Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune will be decided shortly and the winner faces Tiafoe. But still for a country which up until Shelton reached the final earlier this year in a clay court tournament struggled to even get players in the final, the men are finally emulating the women.