Paris: The 2018 French Open is into its second week. The second major Tennis event of the regular season tends to reignite memories of the last US Open. While Serena Williams' bid was stopped when a chest injury occurred, the American footprint remains strong in Paris, at least in women's contest.

It's good to see that Serena Williams' absence from the higher stages doesn't necessarily mean the Americans aren't allowed to hope for ultimate glory on the red dirt of Philippe Chatrier. According to ESPN, Sloane Stephens is set to face her fellow countrywoman Madison Keys for a place in the women's final.

It'll be a replay of the 2017 US Open final and a chance for Keys to square things even.

Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys both with a solid charge

Usually, American tennis players tend to have mix feelings when competing on clay. Now, this is about to change as the American charge in the French capital has gathered a solid momentum.

According to Reuters, Madison Keys, 23, will be playing in her third Grand Slam semifinal. She will take on Sloane Stephens for a place in the last act. What's impressive about Keys is her route, at least up to this point. She reached this high ground without dropping a single set since the tournament started. Things are getting even more interesting considering the fact that she is yet to win a clay court title.

Analyzing her tennis output during the 2018 French Open, it's easy to observe what put Keys up front. Her serve was better than usual, while her flashy groundstrokes were consistently kept inside the lines. That and a different sense of composure propelled her inches away from another Grand Slam final.

Sloane Stephens is having yet another dream run.

Last summer she started her comeback bid after surviving a long battle with an injury and then the post-surgery recovery. After a decent summer swing on the American hard, Stephens went on to shock the entire tennis guild by capturing her maiden Grand Slam title. A warm night of September had Stephens dispatching Keys in straight sets to win the title on Arthur Ashe Arena at Flushing Meadows.

Dropping only one set along the way, Stephens went below the radar but now she must be put on the favorites' list at the French Open. At 25-years-old, she seems to have reached a certain tennis maturity and she could become a relevant figure in women's tennis.

Should she succeed to bag a second Grand Slam title, Sloane Stephens will prove that her 2017 US Open run was not a fortune-driven accident.

Having an American winner at the French Open is a rare thing

The second Grand Slam of the season is a hard-to-acquire perk for the American tennis elite. There is indeed Serena Williams with her three titles in singles, but overall, the numbers are low. In fact, in order to dig up an American winner in women's contest, we'd have to travel back in 2001.

Jennifer Capriati survived a thriller (1-6, 6-4, 12-10) to beat the Belgian legend, Kim Clijsters, in that year's final.

Tomorrow, either Madison Keys or Sloane Stephens will book a place in the final act. An interesting match lies ahead as Stephens leads Keys by 2-0 in head-to-head stats.