Four American men in the Wimbledon Round of 16 for the first time since 1999 ft. Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz

Taylor Fritz and Brandon Nakashima won their respective third round matches on Saturday to join compatriots Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon.

This is the first time since 1999 that four American men have made the fourth round at the All England Club. That edition saw Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, Andre Agassi, and Todd Martin make the fourth round. Sampras and Agassi contested an all-American final, with the former winning the title.

Sampras also triumphed at the All England Club the following year, but no American has since emulated the 14-time Slam champion at SW19. Andy Roddick came close on three occasions, losing to Roger Federer in the summit clash in 2004, 2005, and 2009.

After Roddick's decline and eventual retirement, American men's tennis witnessed a bit of a lull with not many players making their mark on the tour, let alone dominating at the Slams.

However, the current crop of young American players seem to be proving their mettle in the Majors. They also have age on their side, meaning the likes of Fritz (24), Tiafoe (24), Nakashima (20), and Paul (25) could emerge as serious contenders in the years to come.

The likes of Jenson Brooksby, Sebastian Korda, Reilly Opelka, and Maxime Cressy are also highly talented and are capable of delivering the goods on the biggest stages.

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A brief look at the journeys of Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Brandon Nakashima & Tommy Paul at Wimbledon 2022

Frances Tiafoe began his Wimbledon 2022 campaign against Andrea Vavassori in the first round. He beat the Italian 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 before scoring a win over Maximilian Marterer in the second round.

The 24-year-old then ousted Alexander Bublik in the third round on Friday; he will face David Goffin on Sunday, with the winner set for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, in his first-round match, Taylor Fritz beat the highly talented Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. He then posted consecutive straight-set wins against Alastair Gray and Alex Molcan. Fritz will take on Jason Kubler in the fourth round on Monday.

The 20-year-old Brandon Nakashima beat Nicola Kuhn in his first-round match before going on to post victories over Denis Shapovalov and Daniel Galan. The American will lock horns against the winner of the match between Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Tommy Paul, meanwhile, began his Wimbledon campaign by beating Fernando Verdasco in the first round. Paul proceeded to oust Adrian Mannarino and Jiri Vesely and will next face Brit Cameron Norrie in the fourth round on Sunday.