French Open: Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul Put 2 US Men in Quarterfinals for 1st Time Since 1996

Tommy Paul of the United States plays a backhand return to Australia's Alexei Popyrin during their men's singles match on day 8 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Suzanne-Lenglen at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on June 1, 2025. Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images

PARIS—Before Frances Tiafoe played a point at this French Open, he wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about its surface—or his chances in the tournament.

“Last tournament on clay, which I get really excited about,” Tiafoe said on the eve of the Grand Slam event at Roland-Garros. “And then we get on the real stuff, the grass and the summer hard courts—where tennis actually matters.”