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MELBOURNE, Australia — Could the 2019 Australian Open be the Grand Slam tournament in which a budding cast of young American men breaks through?
The odds remain against that happening — thanks in part to a guy named Roger Federer — and there remains much tennis to be played. But after a pair of second-round upsets by Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz on Wednesday, the stage just might be set.
The first surprise came when Tiafoe, who turns 21 on Sunday, finished off fifth-seeded Kevin Anderson behind powerful forehands and serves. It was the biggest win of Tiafoe’s young career and the biggest shock of the tournament so far.