Team USA still competing in 2025 Australian Open

The 2024 Grand Slam season ends with two Americans — Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula — vying for the singles title at the U.S. Open. Their and other Americans' collective success throughout the year has set high expectations for 2025.

With 14 men and 19 women taking part in the Australian Open's main draw, the chances of progressing further into the year's first Grand Slam look good. Now that we're officially into week two in Melbourne, it's safe to say Team USA lived up to the expectations. Six men and five women from the United States made history by reaching the third round.

While Fritz and Pegula were upsets in the round of 32 and other notable players like Frances Tiafoe and Amanda Anisimova were sent home early, seven Americans still made it to fourth rounds — the most Americans in the Australian Open round of 16 since 2004.

No American has won the Australian title since Sofia Kenin in 2020, and no American man has done so since Andre Agassi in 2003. A title.

Will this be the year that fortunes change for those who represent the red, white and blue? Here's a look at the Americans who remain in the lottery, and how they got here.

Coco Gough

People she has defeated so far: Sofia Kenin, Judy Burrage, no. 30 Leila Fernandez, Belinda Bencic

Next: Paola Badosa (quarterfinals)

Despite being just 20 years old, Goff has become one of the most consistent players in the country over the past two seasons. She won her first and only (at least for now) Grand Slam title at the 2023 U.S. Open, and after making some technical and personnel adjustments with her team, she took home the title at the WTA Year-End Finals. win the trophy and recover from a challenging 2024 season. .

Third-seeded Gauff opened the 2025 season with eight straight wins, becoming just the fifth woman in the Open era to achieve that mark, and helped the United States win the Fed Cup title earlier this month. In the final, she defeated world No. 2 and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek 6-4, 6-4, defeating the Polish superstar for the second consecutive time.

In Melbourne, Gauff lost just one game and captivated the crowd with her Marvel-inspired looks and entertaining on-field interviews.

She didn't seem too concerned about matching her 2024 semifinal finish in the tournament, instead sharing her new perspective after Friday's win over Fernandez.

“Tennis feels like the stakes are high, but it's not,” Goff said. “I'm lucky to be able to do what I do — and still get paid. The biggest thing I learned last year is not to take anything for granted, and (I) just realized how far this time is going to go quick.

“Hopefully it won't feel like this now, but I'm sure in 20 years I'll be saying, 'Gosh, sometimes I wish I could go back.'” While I'm here, I just want to enjoy it. “

Opponents he has defeated so far: Christopher O'Connell, Kei Nishikori, Roberto Cabares Baena, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

Next: Alexander Zverev (quarterfinals)

The 27-year-old achieved a career-best result in 2023 by reaching the semi-finals in Melbourne – a feat he looks capable of repeating this time around.

Paul, the tournament's 12th seed, needed five sets (and a medical timeout for shoulder treatment) to defeat Australian O'Connell, who was supported by the crowd, in the first round. But since then he has won handily against Kei Nishikori, Cabales Baena and Davidovich Fokina.

No matter what happens in the future, when the rankings are released after the Australian Open, Paul will be expected to enter the top 10 for the first time in his career. He is currently ranked 9th in the live rankings.

People she has defeated so far: Payton Stearns, Wang Xiyu, Ons Jabeur

Next: No. 9 Daria Kasatkina (Fourth round)

No. 8 seed Navarro had a breakout season in 2024, reaching the semifinals at the U.S. Open and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, in addition to winning her No. A WTA champion (Hobart) and selected for the Olympic team.

Although she went just 1-2 in her two leading events before the Australian Open, the 23-year-old appears to have brought her best, or at least her grittiest, tennis to Melbourne. She has required deciding sets in all three matches so far and managed to hold off a resurgent Jabr in Saturday's third round to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

“I love three sets! I love tennis so much that I can't resist. I have to play three sets,” Navarro joked on the court after the game. “I'm just trying to keep at it, keep believing in myself, and know that if I put myself in the best position to do what I want to do, then maybe I'll come out on top and be at the top. I can do that.”

She then went on to praise her father's endurance during long races and how he would “drag” her and her siblings on grueling hikes and bike rides.

Former NCAA champion Navarro is now entering the fourth round of the event for the first time and in only her ninth major, having reached the second week of all four majors. She is the only American woman besides Gauff to reach the fourth round of four majors since the start of last season.

She will face 2022 French Open semifinalist Kasatkina on Monday in their first career meeting. The 27-year-old Kasatkina has not lost a set in Melbourne so far and has only lost 12 games in total.

Alex Michelson

Opponents he has defeated so far: No. 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas, James McCabe 19 Karen Khachanov

Next: No. 8 Alex DeMinaur (Fourth round)

Perhaps no one in the tournament reached the fourth round more impressively than the 20-year-old Michelsen.

Michelsen is playing in his second Australian Open and reaching the third round on his debut in 2024, the third time since Andy Roddick in 2003 to reach the second week in Melbourne. The young American player is also the sixth youngest in the Open era. He is also the third American male player since 1990 (14 years before he was born) to defeat two ATP top 20 players before the round of 16 at a major.

In a first-round win over 2023 tournament finalist Tsitsipas, Michelsen played fearless tennis and quickly took control. Despite such moments and opponents, Michelson and his confidence never wavered. He defeated his experienced opponent in four sets. On Saturday he faced 2023 Australian Open semi-finalist Khachanov, whom he won in straight sets and successfully thwarted any efforts by Khachanov to return to the match.

“I played unbelievable most of the game,” Michelson said on the court. “I don't know what happened… My forehand has never been that good. I'm very happy and hope to keep this momentum going.”

Already winning over the crowd with his bold displays, he continued to charm fans in the stands by joking about not having time for a proper chat with his mother at home in California earlier in the day.

“Hi, Mom! I'm sorry I only called you for a minute this morning. I had something to do,” he said, looking into the camera. “I love you. I miss you. I hope everything is okay at home.”

Michelsen, currently ranked No. 42, is expected to move up to a career-high No. 34 in the latest rankings after Saturday's win, and another win would move him into the top 30. He has played against De Minaur twice, with both matches split, but won the only hard-court match in Los Cabos in February this year, 6-4, 6-1.

Who has she defeated so far?: Ann Li, Elena-Gabriela Ruse, No. 10 Danielle Collins, No. 6 Elena Rybakina

Next: Elena Svitolina (quarterfinals)

Keys, 29, may be the most experienced American player left, having reached the Melbourne semifinals twice and playing in the 2017 U.S. Open final. The 19th seed kicked off her 2025 season by reaching the quarter-finals in Auckland and winning in Adelaide last week. She is now riding a nine-match winning streak heading into the quarterfinals following her fourth-round win over 2023 Australian Open finalist Rybakina.

The win was her sixth win over a top-10 opponent at the Australian Open, but only her second since defeating then-No. 1 Barbora Krejcikova. No. 4 seed, 2022 quarterfinals. The first was two nights ago, when she defeated fellow American Collins.

“I'm playing good tennis,” Keys said on court Saturday night. “I've always loved playing in Australia.”

Opponents he has defeated so far: Brandon Nakajima, Pablo Carreno Busta, Lorenzo Musetti No. 16

Next: Gael Monfils (Fourth round)

Sheldon, 22, was somewhat under the radar during the latest campaign in Melbourne, as his (slightly) younger peers received a lot of attention. He even joked at the start of Saturday's press conference that it was “old news.” However, that might not last long and he's not that far away from becoming a star in the tournament himself.

Two years ago, Shelton competed outside the United States for the first time, making a surprise quarterfinal appearance at the Australian Open and a semifinal appearance at the U.S. Open later that year. Since then, he has become one of the most well-known players in the country and has won two ATP titles. In his first week in Melbourne, he dropped just two sets and was largely in control in all three matches. In Saturday's meeting with Musetti, Shelton won a fourth-set tiebreaker 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 to avoid a tiebreaker. (5) WIN.

“He's definitely one of the most talented players on the tour,” Shelton, the 21st seed, said after the game. “One of the top three shooters on tour. When he's on the court, he does things you wouldn't believe… We say on tour if someone beats you three times in a row, they're Your dad, so I've been trying not to let that happen.”

It marked Shelton's third major victory over a top-20 player. He is now just one match away from replicating his previous best result in Melbourne and reaching the third Grand Slam quarter-final of his career. But it won't be easy against a resurgent Monfils, with the fan-favorite 38-year-old returning to beat the heavily favored Fritz on Saturday. Shelton and Monfils never fought, but it had the potential to be an electrifying classic between two of the tour's best performers. Shelton talked about watching highlights from Monfils' career on YouTube and said he has “the greatest mixtape” in tennis.

Shelton is the only seed left in this quarter's draw, but he said it has nothing to do with him.

“I always felt like I had a chance,” he told reporters. “I always back myself up, I always play against big guys and I feel like I have something that's going to make them uncomfortable. I've never walked on the floor not thinking I had a chance to win. That's just the way I'm wired and “That's probably why I had some success and moments that I probably shouldn't have, or I didn't really care who was on the other side of the court until I was really ready.”