内容摘要：France’s Adrien Truffert jumps over Argentina’s goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli during a quarterfinal soccer match between France and Argentina, at Bordeaux Stadium, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Bordeaux, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

France’s Adrien Truffert jumps over Argentina’s goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli during a quarterfinal soccer match between France and Argentina, at Bordeaux Stadium, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Bordeaux, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

in Paris since 1996, when Jim Courier and Pete Sampras did it together. Zero men from the United States had made it this far in any year since Andre Agassi in 2003.“Playing hard-court tennis on a clay court,” he said.

And Tiafoe — who celebrated his win by twice shouting a phrase that can’t be quoted fully here but included the words “let’s” and “go” — has done it without dropping a set.Quite a turnaround for a guy whose big-strike tennis long suffered on the slow red clay. He began his French Open career with a 0-6 record before getting his first win in 2022 and one more last year.“On clay, I get a little more passive than on other surfaces, because the court doesn’t help me play as fast as I would like,” said Tiafoe, twice a semifinalist on the hard courts of the U.S. Open, where speedy shots are rewarded and the loud crowds and bright lights tend to bring out his best. “Patience is a thing I struggle with.”

Look at him now, though.And listen to something else he said when he met with reporters a little more than a week ago, with a dash of his usual sense of humor: “Overall, I’m a big believer it can all change in a week. When I’m backed up against it, it seems like I start to produce my best tennis, because I have to if I want to continue living the life I want to live.”

Tiafoe, a 27-year-old from Maryland, added: “If I’m ready to go, I’m not just going to get to the third round — I can go for a run. I genuinely feel I can beat anybody on any specific day.”

He wants more, too, naturally.Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris appears on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” with Maya Rudolph, Nov. 2, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Glen Powell, second from left, and Anthony Ramos, cast members in the upcoming film “Twisters,” dodge a fake cow and flying leaves from a wind machine onstage during the Universal Pictures and Focus Features presentation at CinemaCon 2024, April 10, 2024, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)Glen Powell, second from left, and Anthony Ramos, cast members in the upcoming film “Twisters,” dodge a fake cow and flying leaves from a wind machine onstage during the Universal Pictures and Focus Features presentation at CinemaCon 2024, April 10, 2024, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Dua Lipa poses for a portrait to promote her new album “Radical Optimism”, April 26, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Drew Gurian/Invision/AP)Dua Lipa poses for a portrait to promote her new album “Radical Optimism”, April 26, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Drew Gurian/Invision/AP)