In a contest spanning four hours and 38 minutes of high-stakes tennis, Frances Tiafoe completed a remarkable comeback to defeat Alex Michelsen at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 28-year-old Maryland native overcame a two-set deficit and stood just two points away from elimination in the third set before turning the tide to win 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (6). The victory propels Tiafoe into the US Open semi-finals for the third time in five years, making him only the second American man this century, alongside Andre Agassi, to achieve such a feat.
The atmosphere inside the stadium was initially subdued, with many fans still filtering in following the earlier match between Aryna Sabalenka and Linda Noskova. Tiafoe, who had played his previous four rounds in the more intimate Louis Armstrong Stadium, admitted the slow start affected him. “Everyone was asleep in the first couple hours, and I was like, ‘What’s going on?’” Tiafoe told the crowd. “I was asleep with y’all. And then, as it went along, the energy was incredible, as it always is.”
For the first three sets, the unseeded 22-year-old Michelsen appeared poised for a career-defining win. The Laguna Hills native broke Tiafoe’s serve to take the opening set 7-5 after 50 minutes. He continued his momentum in the second, breaking Tiafoe three times to secure a 6-3 lead. Michelsen’s dominance seemed set to continue in the third set when he broke early and held a 5-3 advantage, putting him on the cusp of becoming the first American man to reach the US Open semi-finals without dropping a set since Jim Courier in 1991.
However, the pressure of the moment began to weigh on the world No 46. Michelsen opened the eighth game with consecutive double faults, allowing Tiafoe to break back and level the set at 5-5. Tiafoe capitalized on the momentum shift, securing the third set 7-5. Reflecting on the turning point, Michelsen noted, “You’re four points away from making a semi-final of the US Open. After I double-faulted twice, I was like, ‘Oh, here we go. It’s not good.’ I feel like I just handed it to him. Then after that he started playing really good.”
Tiafoe’s resurgence was evident in the fourth set, where his movement sharpened and his forehand became increasingly aggressive. Michelsen, who had previously been composed, struggled with unforced errors, committing 16 in the set. Although Michelsen managed to break back for 3-2, Tiafoe responded immediately with another break and held serve to force a deciding fifth set.
The final set featured the highest quality of tennis from both players. Michelsen initially surged ahead, breaking Tiafoe at love to lead 3-0, but the 11th seed fought back to restore parity. Tiafoe, who had recorded only three aces through the first four sets, found his rhythm on serve, hitting seven aces in the fifth set alone. The match ultimately reached a first-to-10-points tiebreaker, where Tiafoe’s experience proved decisive.
Tiafoe built a 6-4 lead in the tiebreaker, and despite Michelsen’s efforts to stay within reach, a 135mph ace extended the lead to 8-6. A subsequent backhand error from Michelsen gave Tiafoe three match points. While Michelsen saved the first, Tiafoe clinched the win on the second with a forehand passing-shot winner. Following the final point, a visibly emotional Michelsen embraced Tiafoe at the net.
“I think it was a combination of a lot of things,” Michelsen said after the match. “But Frances, he’s such a good guy, and he said a lot of personal things and just kind of got to me.”
Tiafoe now looks ahead to Friday’s semi-final, where he will face either Carlos Alcaraz or Ben Shelton for a place in his first grand slam final. Having previously reached the final four in 2022 and 2024, the American veteran remains a formidable presence at Flushing Meadows. The report also notes that the victor consoling the vanquished in the aftermath of an extraordinary comeback that had carried him, somehow, into the US Open semi-finals, tiafoe took his younger countryman in an embrace and held him there. The report also notes that instead, Tiafoe roared back from the brink to win a quarter-final that will be long remembered in New York, defeating Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (6) on Tuesday afternoon to reach the last four at Flushing Meadows for the third time in five years. The report also notes that the unseeded 22-year-old from the Orange County suburb of Laguna Hills, about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, who appeared bound for the signature win of a career that has come spectacularly into bloom over the past 10 days, for much of the day it was Michelsen. The report also notes that fought off two break points to consolidate, then broke again for 5-1 after getting the best of a punishing 24-shot exchange before serving out the set, michelsen broke for 3-1. The report also notes that eased through his service games and survived a gut-check eighth game, where he fell behind love-40 but calmly brushed aside all three break points before holding for 5-3, including the second with a 134mph ace, the match appeared in hand after Michelsen broke again early in the third. The report also notes that thrown a lifeline and suddenly energized, Tiafoe held for 6-5, then pressed again as Michelsen served to force a tiebreak. The report also notes that by now the near-capacity crowd was back in their seats and the complexion of the match had changed completely. The report also notes that peeling off 17 of the last 22 points, and rode it into the fourth, breaking early as his movement sharpened, the forehand began doing more damage and the Ashe crowd buzzed at the possibility of a comeback, tiafoe had ended the third on a heater.
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