The 2024 US Open has a refreshing mix of diversity and talent

Black American tennis stars, such as Coco Gauff, Frances Tiafoe, Madison Keys and Ben Shelton have headlined this year’s US Open so far, but there are other players from the African diaspora, representing other countries, that look primed to make an impact and continue to diversify the game of tennis.

A Frenchman, and two women, one from Italy and one from Japan, have all put forth impressive efforts in their first-round matches and are capable of deep runs in the tournament.

Arthur Fils is not yet a household name, but the 20-year-old from France has the game and personality to become one. Already ranked 24th in the world, Fils is coming off a fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon in July, his best performance to date in a Grand Slam event. His stocky build, power and quickness is reminiscent of former French tennis star Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Fils has a flair for the dramatic that resembles longtime French standout Gael Monfils.

Fils says he likes playing at the US Open and the fans surely like him back.

“I was feeling almost at home today playing,” Fils said after his first-round victory over American Learner Tien. “I was playing against an American boy, but the crowd was good for me and was cheering for me also, so I like to play at the US Open.”

Fils plays unseeded Gabriel Diallo, a Canadian of Guinean and Ukrainian descent, in the second round Thursday. Fils likes the progress he has made over the last year and attributes most of his growth to the mental side of the game.

“I think I’m playing great and I’m improving my game, getting better and better,” he said. “Today I didn’t get pissed. I was staying calm, you know? I could have [broken] some rackets, but no. I stayed calm and just managed myself and I think it helped me a lot today and in general.”

Italian Jasmine Paolini, born to a Ghanaian and Polish mother and an Italian father, has had quite a 2024. The 28-year-old had never reached the third round of a Grand Slam until this year when she advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open and then proceeded to reach the finals at the French Open and Wimbledon. Paolini is the first woman to reach the finals at the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year since Serena Williams accomplished the feat in 2016.

At 5-foot-4, feisty, and with a perpetual underdog mentality, Paolini and her newfound top 5 game (she’s currently ranked fifth in the world) should be a fan favorite at the US Open.

“It’s nice to play in front of the crowd like this in the evening,” she said after her first round three-set win versus 2019 US Open champion, Bianca Andreescu. The fifth-seeded Paolini faces unseeded Karolina Pliskova in the second round Thursday. “It’s something great I try to enjoy.

“I know I’m playing well, I’m playing good, but every tournament is different. I knew that this was a really tough first round so I tried to stay focused, to stay in the present and to try to play a good match.”

Although America has claimed Naomi Osaka and she grew up in the United States, from New York to Florida to California, Osaka was born in Japan and has represented Japan from the start of her tennis career.

Osaka, of course, is already a household name and a hardcourt specialist, if you will. She is a four-time Grand Slam champion, having won two US Open titles and two Australian Open titles.

Osaka is also famous for helping to bring the issue of mental health to the sports world. Coming off of her second Australian Open championship in 2021, Osaka withdrew from the French Open citing mental health issues after being fined $15,000 for missing a mandatory press conference. Later, athletes such as gymnast Simone Biles brought further light to mental health.

In 2023, prior to the Australian Open, Osaka took another hiatus from tennis, this time announcing that she was expecting her first child with hip hop artist Cordae.

She is once again helping to trailblaze a new path for athletes. Having stepped away from tennis in the prime of her career, she now attempts to regain her previously attained status. The 2024 US Open could be the time.

“I feel like for me, this court is my home, like, it gives me so much more confidence,” Osaka said after a surprisingly easy 6-3, 6-2 victory over 10th seeded Jelena Ostapenko. “Like, I step on the court knowing that I probably have the most wins in the field, maybe.”

Osaka’s first round win over Ostapenko was likely the best she’s played since returning to the sport after giving birth to her daughter. She has participated in all four Grand Slams this year, but lost in the first round in the Australian Open, and lost in the second round in both the French Open and Wimbledon. But it was her performance in a loss to No. 1 ranked Iga Swiatek in the French Open that put the tennis world on notice that Osaka was not far from regaining her old form. She lost a three-set thriller in which she let a match point slip away.

“I’m really glad that I played all the tournaments this year, even though the results haven’t been that great, I feel like I could draw from each of those matches,” she said.

From the look of her first-round match and her prior experiences at the US Open, Osaka could be a serious threat to challenge for the title this year, just like old times. Osaka faces unseeded Karolina Muchova in the second round.

“Having two [championship] wins here means a lot,” she said. “I’ve been struggling with confidence throughout the year, and this time now forces me to look in the mirror and say, ‘Hey, you’ve done really well here, there’s no reason why you can’t do well again.’ ”

These three international players, along with the strong contingent of Black players representing the United States, add a refreshing mix of diversity, personality and talent to this year’s US Open.