It’s been a miserable few decades for American men in the Grand Slams. Andy Roddick’s 2003 US Open remains the last time an American has won a major title, while Roddick’s epic five-set Wimbledon loss in 2009 to Roger Federer is the last time an American has even made it to a final.
That streak probably won’t be broken anytime soon, but the American male contingent is making its presence felt at Wimbledon so far. With Brandon Nakashima, Jenson Brooksby and Taylor Fritz moving to the third round on Thursday — and Jack Sock winning two sets in an interrupted match — the Americans will represent eight of the last 32 players left for the title.
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That makes this already the most successful first week of Wimbledon for the Americans since 1993, when nine players made it to the third round. No more than five American men had progressed that far since 1997.
Here’s a look at the remaining players representing the US and their chances of winning two more games and advancing to the semifinals.
John Isner
Age: 37
Best Wimbledon result: Semi-final (2018)
Surprise Level (out of 10): 7
Despite the big serve that has kept him in the top 20 in the world for a long time, Isner has not had great success at Wimbledon. Despite the one semi-final four years ago, this is only his fifth time in the third round of 13 appearances. And to get here, he had to beat Andy Murray at Center Court, a two-time Wimbledon champion who had beaten Isner in all eight previous encounters. (To be fair, Murray hasn’t been the same player since major hip surgery in 2019.)
Semifinal Odds (out of 10): 2
Isner’s run could end on Friday against Jannik Sinner, the tenth-seeded Italian with plenty of power off the ground. Even if Isner makes it (they split their two encounters on hard courts last year), he would face 19-year-old sensation Carlos Alcaraz in the round of 16 and then Novak Djokovic as No. 1 in the quarter-finals.
Frances Tiafu
Age: 24
Best Wimbledon result: Third round (2018, 2021, 2022)
Surprise Level: 0
Tiafoe got a great draw that predicted a possible big run, and he easily beat qualifiers in the first two rounds. Tiafoe has done well on the grass in the past, including a win over Stefanos Tsitsipas at Wimbledon last year and a Challenger Tour title last summer in Nottingham. His ability to hit the ball hard and flat is a real asset on this surface.
Semi-final chances: 7
This remains a very manageable part of the draw for ‘Big Foe’. Friday’s game will be tough against Alexander Bublik, a big server with an unpredictable and inconsistent streak. He is a very difficult customer when he plays well, but it is a match Tiafoe can definitely win. An unseeded player – France’s Ugo Humbert or more likely Belgium’s David Goffin – would wait in the next round. The highest remaining number in this quarter is No. 9 Cam Norrie, who has never made it past the third round of a Grand Slam. A lot of opportunities here.
Steve Johnson
Age: 32
Best Wimbledon result: Fourth round (2016)
Surprise Level: 8
Despite having a good playing style on the lawn, Johnson has not had good results in recent years and barely holds on to a top-100 ranking. He was a big underdog in the first round against number 18 Grigor Dimitrov, but Dimitrov had to stop in the second set with a groin injury. Then Johnson knocked out British wildcard Ryan Peniston, who had never played in a major Slam main draw before. Johnson pulls Norrie, which isn’t an impossible match. However, he would again be an underdog against Paul in the fourth round and someone like Tiafoe in the quarterfinals. It’s not impossible, but it seems unlikely that he can go that far.
Semi-final chances: 4
Tommy Paul
Age: 25
Best Wimbledon result: Third round (2022)
Surprise Level: 5
This is Paul’s debut in the Wimbledon main draw, but he has been in pretty good shape lately with a career high ranking of number 32. He also made the quarter-finals at both the Queen’s Club and Eastbourne warm-up events on grass, beating out Denis Shapovalov, Stan Wawrinka and Sinner en route. Paul did very well to easily beat two elderly veterans in Fernando Verdasco and Adrian Mandarin in his third round match against No. 68 Jiri Vesely
Semi-final chances: 7
As with Tiafoe, the draw went very well for Paul. He will be a favorite against Vesely and could definitely beat Norrie or Johnson in the round of 16. It would come as no surprise to see him and Tiafoe face off for a semi-final spot.
Jack Sock
Age: 29
Best Wimbledon result: Third round (2016)
Surprise Level: 8
Sock was a top 10 player five years ago, but now he is more of a doubles specialist. He even came to Wimbledon with just eight singles at ATP level in 2022 (3-5) while playing mainly on the Challenger tour. Grass certainly fits his game with the big serve and forehand, and he had a favorable first round matchup against qualifier Bernabe Zapata Miralles. It would have been difficult to see him get past number 6 Felix Auger-Aliassime on the second lap, but compatriot Maxime Cressy made it happen with an upset win. Sock led Cressy 6-4, 6-4 in Thursday’s second-round match, which was suspended due to darkness.
Semi-final chances: 2
Sock should definitely win another round, but number 11 Taylor Fritz would probably wait in the round of 16 and then Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals. It probably won’t happen unless someone knocks Nadal off in the meantime.
Taylor Fritz
Age: 24
Best Wimbledon result: Third round (2021, 2022)
Surprise Level: 0
Having had a career year, Fritz has been playing really good tennis lately, winning his biggest title last week in March at Indian Wells and the Eastbourne crown on grass. He’s now a man the top players take seriously, and he’s working on a Slam breakthrough. As the number 11 seed, he handled things efficiently in the first two rounds.
Semi-final chances: 4
It would be a major disappointment if Fritz didn’t make it to the quarter-finals, given the relatively easy draw ahead of him. But when it comes down to it, can he beat Nadal for a semi-final spot? It’s unlikely, for obvious reasons. But Fritz does have a heavy serve and the kind of play that could disturb Nadal on grass. Remarkably, Fritz defeated an injured Nadal in the Indian Wells final earlier this year.
Brandon Nakashima
Age: 20
Best Wimbledon result: Third round (2022)
Surprise Level: 5
It’s been a slow build-up in recent years, but making back-to-back third rounds at the French Open and Wimbledon shows he’s on the right track. The San Diego-born and former University of Virginia star known for his stellar backhand took advantage of his second-round draw against 13-seeded Denis Shapovalov, who had been in terrible shape of late.
Semi-final chances: 5
Colombian Daniel Galan, ranked number 109, should be a favorable match for Nakashima in the third round. In the fourth round, he would face Nick Kyrgios or number 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. While Nakashima would be a definite underdog against either, both have shown that they can be beaten by lower-ranked players in Grand Slams. But the other half of that quarter is completely open.
Jenson Brooksby
Age: 21
Best Wimbledon result: Third round (2022)
Surprise Level: 8
Many tennis players think Brooksby could be the man who could eventually break the Grand Slam drought with his unorthodox, hard-to-read game. He certainly put himself on the radar last year at the US Open by making it to the fourth round and giving Novak Djokovic everything he could handle at Arthur Ashe Stadium. But let’s face it: Even with a good draw, the 34th-ranked Brooksby didn’t seem ready for grass in the warm-up events at all. It’s pretty shocking that he has found form here with straight set wins over Mikhael Kukushkin and Benjamin Bonzi.
Semi-final chances: 5
Brooksby got a big break when Matteo Berrettini withdrew from his part of the draw due to COVID, so he will face Christian Garin from Chile, who is best known for his clay-court prowess. Brooksby isn’t sure, but his share of the draw isn’t disheartening. When he gets to the quarters, you can see his quirky play frustrate Kyrgios or Tsitsipas.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wimbledon 2022: John Isner with eight American men in final 32