By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday April 29, 2025
Who says American men can’t play on clay?
This year on the fast-playing courts at altitude Madrid, the men have carved out a slice of history.
With Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe joining Taylor Fritz and Brandon Nakashima in the round of 16, the quartet marked the second time in ATP Masters 1000 history that four or more Americans reached round of 16 of a clay event after five Americans did the trick at 1990 Hamburg.
Most American men in the Madrid R16 since 2003: Fritz/ Nakashima/ Paul/ Tiafoe.
— TennisNow (@Tennis_Now) April 29, 2025
Back then – 35 years ago! – it was Andre Agassi, Jimmy Arias, Jay Berger, Jim Courier and Aaron Krickstein.
Fritz, who last year became the first American to reach the semifinals in Madrid since the event switched to clay in 2009, will face Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals tonight in Madrid, while Nakashima will take on ninth-seeded Medvedev later today as well.
On Wednesday Paul will face Jack Draper, while Tiafoe will take on Matteo Arnaldi.
