Tiafoe rallies from two sets down to reach US Open semis

Tiafoe battles back against Michelsen

Frances Tiafoe came back from two sets and a break down to beat fellow American Alex Michelsen and reach the US Open semi-finals, according to the BBC. The 11th seed won 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6) in a match that lasted four hours and 38 minutes, the BBC reported.

The Guardian reported that Tiafoe, 28, was two sets down and two points from elimination in the third set before turning the match around. The Guardian described Tiafoe rallying from 5-3 down in that set to shift the momentum, a turnaround the BBC also noted began at that same point.

Michelsen, 22 and unseeded, was playing in his first Grand Slam quarter-final, the BBC reported. The Guardian said Michelsen is from Laguna Hills in Orange County, and that he had not dropped a set on his way into the tournament's latter stages.

An emotional finish

Michelsen broke down in tears as the two players embraced after the match, according to both the BBC and the Otago Daily Times (ODT). The Guardian reported that the embrace lasted 23 seconds, with Michelsen sobbing just outside the tramlines.

"I don't think anyone else could have made me cry in that moment, to be honest," Michelsen said, according to the ODT. "Frances, he's such a good guy and he said a lot of personal things and just kind of got to me."

Tiafoe told reporters, as quoted by the ODT, "I understand the moment. He was definitely crying on my shoulders. Yeah, we just had some words for each other, and that was it." The Guardian quoted Tiafoe calling it "a Braveheart-type win" that "ranks pretty high in probably all-time wins in a slam."

What comes next

Tiafoe's win sets up a semi-final against either defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or American eighth seed Ben Shelton, according to the BBC and the Guardian. The Guardian reported that match is scheduled for Friday.

It is Tiafoe's third US Open semi-final in five years, after losses to Alcaraz in 2022 and to Taylor Fritz in 2024, the BBC reported. The ODT also noted that world number one Aryna Sabalenka reached the semi-finals for a sixth straight year, beating Linda Noskova 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-6 (10-7), and will next face the winner of a match between Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro.