PARIS — It’s been 30 years since three American men reached Week 2 at the French Open. Back then, it was Andre Agassi, Michael Chang and Jim Courier — each of whom won the tournament at some point.

This go-round, the trio is Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, all scheduled to be on court today in fourth-round action at Roland-Garros.

“Yeah, about time,” joked Jessica Pegula, who advanced Saturday and was one of five U.S. women in the round of 16, joining Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, Amanda Anisimova and Hailey Baptiste. “It’s exciting to see. Obviously you want to see your fellow countrymen do well on the other side, and I’m always actually keeping up with them quite a lot. So I hope they keep it going.”

Won’t be easy, of course, perhaps especially for the 13th-seeded Shelton, the big-serving lefty who goes up against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain for a berth in the quarterfinals. No. 12 Paul takes on No. 25 Alexei Popyrin of Australia; No. 15 Tiafoe meets unseeded Daniel Altmaier of Germany.

Not since Courier and Pete Sampras in 1996 have multiple Americans made it to the quarterfinals in Paris.

Historically, the slower red clay used at the French Open has not been particularly kind to men from the United States. Some of that is simply that they tend to grow up playing mostly on hard courts, which reward a big-strike style of hard-hitting tennis, and so they are not as accustomed to the patience and footwork required on the red dirt.

“I really do think everyone can play on this surface,” said Paul, an Australian Open semifinalist two years ago. “I remind myself it’s just tennis.”

But for years, Paul said, he was not excited to participate in the French Open. And that’s coming from someone who won the event’s junior title as a teen in 2015.

“Now I come over here and I look at it as an opportunity,” said Paul, 28, who grew up in North Carolina. “I think all the Americans do.”

Agassi, in 1999, was the last American man to win the trophy at the French Open — and the nation hasn’t had a male finalist since then. Before that, it was Courier in 1991 and 1992. Before that, it was Chang in 1989. And before that, you have to go all the way back to Tony Trabert in 1954 and 1955.

American women have had much more success: 15 singles titles in the Open era, including seven for Chris Evert and three for Serena Williams, plus 13 runner-up showings, most recently by Coco Gauff in 2022.

This is the first time since 1985 that a total of eight American women and men were still around for the fourth round.

“It’s super critical not to worry about what was and just worry about what is,” said Tiafoe, a 27-year-old from Maryland who twice made the semifinals at the hard-court U.S. Open but began his Roland-Garros career by going 0-6. “Currently we’re at the French Open, and just try to be elite. This is where it counts. So guys just believe it.”

Unlike in New York, where Tiafoe is the center of attention and a fan favorite, a scene he loves — “There is so much anticipation; there’s so much energy” — Paris, he said, presents “a different vibe” and “more of a low-key kind of thing.”

So far, so good.