Roland Garros 2021: 8 U.S. women, 4 men in Round 3

Team USA continues to dominate at Roland Garros 2021, with 12 Americans advancing to the third round across the men's and women's singles draws. The eight U.S. women in Round 3 is the most in Paris since nine reached that stage in 2003, while the four American men is the most since six in 1996.

With so much Red, White and Blue in the last 32 in each draw, there are bound to be some all-American showdowns. The first of three such matchups will see No. 7 seed Serena Williams will face Danielle Collins on Friday. On Saturday, 13th seed Jennifer Brady will take on No. 24 Coco Gauff, while No. 4 Sofia Kenin is set to battle No. 28 Jessica Pegula. It will be a second consecutive all-U.S. match for 2020 French Open finalist Kenin, who knocked off qualifier Hailey Baptiste, 7-5, 6-3, in Round 2.

Also through on the women's side are Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys, who famously squared off in both the 2017 US Open final and the 2018 French semifinals, with Stephens getting the win on both occasions. She will face No. 18 seed Karolina Muchova in Round 3 on Saturday, while Keys meets No. 15 Victoria Azarenka on Friday.

Six of the eight women advanced in straight sets, including Stephens, who upset No. 9 seed Karolina Pliskova, 7-5, 6-1. It was a longer road for 2020 Aussie Open finalist Brady, who twice fought back from a break down in the third set to knock off France's Fiona Ferro, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5, much to the chagrin of the local fans on Court Simonne Mathieu.

Williams also needed three sets to get past Mihaela Buzarnescu, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, though she was close to putting it away in straights. Despite some second-set drama, the 39-year-old recovered well to secure an early lead 4-0 in the third—an edge that proved more than enough, as she sealed the match with a third break of serve in four return games in the decider.

"I had some really good chances in the second set to win," she said in her post-match presser, "that if I would have won just one point here or there, like four or five times, it would have been a different second set. I knew going into the third I just had zero in on those important points. If I could just take those, it would be an easier time for me."

Looking ahead to her third-round match against Collins, Williams was full of praise for her opponent, whom she beat in a third-set match tiebreak in January's Yarra Valley Calssic in Melbourne. Friday's matchup will be their second meeting.

"She plays well, especially when it's time to play, which is I guess all the time," Williams said. "She's also a really awesome person off the court. I love seeing her in the locker room. Ideally it would be great if we didn't have to play each other, because I always want her to do super well."

Isner, Opelka, Johnson, Giron advance

After reaching the semifinals of the Italian Open—a run he half-jokingly called a "fluke" at the time—Reilly Opelka is now through to the third round of the French Open for the first time. The 23-year old entered the tournament without a main-draw win in Paris, but has started to take a liking to the dirt over the past month.

Opelka got past Jaume Munar, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5, in Round 2 to match his career-best Grand Slam result from Wimbledon in 2019. The No. 32 seed, who will face No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev on Friday, credits his improved forehand for his recent success.

"My body is a lot more quiet, my head is more quiet," he told the press, explaining some of the adjustments he's made since the Madrid Open in early May. "Honestly, it's just some really basic things. Tennis 101, you know."

That has had a knock-on effect for the rest of his game.

"My forehand is improving," he later added. "At the rate I think it's going, I think there's still so much more room to grow, which is exciting for me. It really is. I go into each practice very excited to test it, to try to improve it. I'm thinking on new things.

"My brain's kind of thinking in a different way now, especially when I'm constructing points from serving. I'm so much more calm because I have so much more confidence, so much more trust in my forehand."

Joining Opelka in Round 3 are John Isner, Steve Johnson and Marcos Giron. All four men will take the court on Friday.

The No. 31-seeded Isner, who has yet to drop a set or be broken in Paris, will face fifth-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the evening session on Court Philipp Chatrier. Johnson, a winner in five sets over Thiago Monteiro, will face No. 12 seed Pablo Carreno Busta, while Giron takes on No. 22 seed Christian Garin.

Three all-American doubles teams into Round 2

While the marquee pairing of Venus Williams and Coco Gauff fell in three opening-round sets, a trio of American duos are still standing in the doubles competition. On the men's side, Frances Tiafoe and Nicholas Monroe upset eighth seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo in straights, while Tennys Sandgren and Austin Krajicek also advanced. Rajeev Ram (with Joe Salisbury) is also through to Round 2.

Jessica Pegula and Asia Muhammad are the lone all-American women's team into Round 2, but they are joined by six other Americans with international partners: Amanda Anisimova (with Potapova), Caroline Dolehide (Arrubarrena), Bethanie Mattek-Sands (Swiatek), Nicole Melichar (Schuurs), Bernarda Pera (Linette) and Shelby Rogers (Martic).

Mathewson, Wagner ready for wheelchar competition

Two Americans will represent Team USA in the wheelchair competition at the French Open, which begins on Friday. Dana Mathewson and David Wagner received direct entry into the women's and Quad fields, respectively, and will compete in both singles and doubles. Read more on the American interest in the wheelchair event here.

For more from Roland Garros, including complete draws, scores, and the daily order of play, visit the tournament's official website.