America’s hopes of ending their 23-year drought without a men’s Grand Slam title took a dent on Saturday as Taylor Fritz’s US Open came to an abrupt halt with defeat to Francisco Cerundolo, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 4-6. The American players hate talking about it. Their federation must hate hearing about it. Andy Roddick, the last man from the United States to win a Grand Slam hates it most of all.‘I’ll be the first person to pop a beer with whoever does it, guaranteed,’ Roddick said during last year’s tournament. The task will now fall to those through to the second week in Flushing Meadows – Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul and 22-year-old newcomer Alex Michelsen – to take advantage of this year’s depleted draw in Flushing Meadows.Fritz had represented the most obvious contender, having made the 2024 final to snap a 15-year streak for the American men. Having lost to Jannik Sinner two years ago in straight sets, and with a wince-inducing 11-0 losing record against Novak Djokovic, their absence in New York may have also raised a smile.The ninth seed had blazed a trail in his first straight-sets win, so dominant that Cerundolo was the first opponent to break his serve. But in the thick of the third set, this confidence deserted him, allowing the Argentine into the match. The 24th seed kept pace in the fourth, pouncing in the fifth game to claim the solitary break as errors crept into Fritz’s game at critical moments. Deep in the fifth, Fritz’s temper started to fray, with a double fault key to Cerundolo’s final, fatal, break of his serve. Taylor Fritz was unable to make his two-set lead stick on a difficult Saturday at the US Open The 2024 finalist fell in five sticky sets to Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo on Arthur AsheHeading to the press room after his loss, the emotion told in Fritz’s voice as he made it clear the scale of the opportunity he may have let slip. ‘I mean, I don’t even know what to say,’ Fritz said, his voice trembling. ‘I don’t want to, like – I don’t really want to talk to anybody, see anybody. ‘I kind of just need to get out for a couple days, and then just get back to work. I don’t know how I let that happen today.’ Hope is not lost for the hosts. As well as the four already into the second week, Learner Tien and Michael Zheng are in action under the Stars and Stripes overnight. Among those playing on Sunday is Tiafoe, a finalist at the Cincinnati Open two weeks ago, who has grown in stature as his time in New York has worn on. After a classy straight-sets win against the No22 seed Valentin Vacherot on Louis Armstrong, he extended his record on 9-0 wins on the court, he is set to look for number 10 against resurgent Russian Daniil Medvedev.Another hot contender is Shelton, the 23-year-old whose Masters win at last month’s Canadian Open represented pitch-perfect US Open prep. His journey here has been spottier, with Shelton still not clicking into high gear. Wins against Tallon Griekspoor, Hubert Hurkacz, and Denis Shapovalov have been knotty affairs, often stretching past midnight. But his opponent in the fourth round, former top-10 mainstay Stefanos Tsitsipas, has never made it past this stage here, and Shelton should see meeting the inconsistent Greek as an opportunity to get into the New York groove.Paul rounds out the biggest American names still in the draw, and the only one to have made the Grand Slam quarter-finals on clay, grass, and hard court. He also has the toughest test in the immediate: a meeting with Alcaraz on Sunday. The 29-year-old lost to the Spaniard at this year’s Australian Open but Alcaraz is some way off that level. In front of a home crowd, this is the New Jersey native’s finest chance.Understandably, attempts have been made by all of the players to keep expectations low.‘I feel like I answer this question every press conference, especially here in New York, every single one,’ Shelton admitted when queried on when the USA might end their Slam-less run after beating Hurkacz. ‘I can’t tell you the last time I’ve thought about the American drought, other than being in these rooms. ‘We have a defending champion this tournament. The player field has a lot of hot players right now.’Nerve-settling perhaps, but not the whole picture. America’s talents were kept out earlier this century, as almost everyone was, by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Djokovic. Now, Sinner and Alcaraz threaten to do the same for another 10-plus years. Opportunities may not come finer than this.