Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul try to add to the best French Open for US men in decades

PARIS (AP) — It's been 30 years since three American men reached Week 2 at the French Open. Back then, it was Andre Agassi, Michael Chang and Jim Courier — each of whom won the tournament at some point.

This go-round, the trio is Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, all scheduled to be on court Sunday in fourth-round action at Roland-Garros.

“Yeah, about time,” joked Jessica Pegula, who advanced Saturday and was one of five U.S. women in the round of 16, joining Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, Amanda Anisimova and Hailey Baptiste. “It’s exciting to see. Obviously you want to see your fellow countrymen do well on the other side, and I’m always actually keeping up with them quite a lot. So I hope they keep it going.”

Won't be easy, of course, perhaps especially for the 13th-seeded Shelton, the big-serving lefty who goes up against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain for a berth in the quarterfinals. No. 12 Paul takes on No. 25 Alexei Popyrin of Australia; No. 15 Tiafoe meets unseeded Daniel Altmaier of Germany.

Not since Courier and Pete Sampras in 1996 have multiple Americans made it to the quarterfinals in Paris.

Historically, the slower red clay used at the French Open has not been particularly kind to men from the United States. Some of that is simply that they tend to grow up playing mostly on hard courts, which reward a big-strike style of hard-hitting tennis, and so they are not as accustomed to the patience and footwork required on the red dirt.

“I really do think everyone can play on this surface," said Paul, an Australian Open semifinalist two years ago. “I remind myself it’s just tennis.”

But for years, Paul said, he was not excited to participate in the French Open. And that's coming from someone who won the event's junior title as a teen in 2015.

“Now I come over here and I look at it as an opportunity,” said Paul, 28, who grew up in North Carolina. “I think all the Americans do.”

Agassi, in 1999, was the last American man to win the trophy at the French Open — and the nation hasn't had a male finalist since then. Before that, it was Courier in 1991 and 1992. Before that, it was Chang in 1989. And before that, you have to go all the way back to Tony Trabert in 1954 and 1955.

American women have had much more success: 15 singles titles in the Open era, including seven for Chris Evert and three for Serena Williams, plus 13 runner-up showings, most recently by Coco Gauff in 2022.

This is the first time since 1985 that a total of eight American women and men were still around for the fourth round.

“It's super critical not to worry about what was and just worry about what is,” said Tiafoe, a 27-year-old from Maryland who twice made the semifinals at the hard-court U.S. Open but began his Roland-Garros career by going 0-6. “Currently we’re at the French Open, and just try to be elite. This is where it counts. So guys just believe it.”

Unlike in New York, where Tiafoe is the center of attention and a fan favorite, a scene he loves — “There is so much anticipation; there's so much energy” — Paris, he said, presents “a different vibe” and “more of a low-key kind of thing.”

So far, so good.

There wasn't likely to be anything low key about Shelton vs. Alcaraz in the main stadium, Court Philippe-Chatrier. They are among the flashiest, most entertaining athletes in men’s tennis at the moment.

Alcaraz is seeded No. 2. At 22, the same age as Shelton — who won an NCAA title for the University of Florida — Alcaraz already owns four Grand Slam titles, with at least one each on the clay at the French Open, the grass at Wimbledon and the hard courts at the U.S. Open.

“That’s a pretty cool opportunity, pretty cool experience, that not a lot of people get or see in their lifetime," said Shelton, a semifinalist at the U.S. Open in 2023 and the Australian Open in January but 2-2 at Roland-Garros before this year. “For me, I’m definitely going to enjoy it and go out there and see what I can do, because I’m starting to gain some speed, gain a little bit of traction, on this surface and starting to see some of my best tennis. I like to think of myself as dangerous whenever I get to that place.”

Madison Keys of the U.S. reacts winning a point United States' Sofia Kenin during their third round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Coco Gauff of the U.S. celebrates beating Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic during their third round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Tommy Paul of the U.S. reacts as he plays Denmark's Elmer Moller during their first round match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Frances Tiafoe of the U.S. reacts to winning a point against United States' Sebastian Korda during their third-round match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Ben Shelton of the U.S. reacts as he plays Italy's Matteo Gigante during their third round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.

The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday," the airport's official X account wrote.

A spokesperson for the airport said the pedestrian, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.

“We're stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”

The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now" before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.

“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”

Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.

Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later today.

The pedestrian death came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident nor the name of the employee.

“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. "We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”

FILE - A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International airport on Nov. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)