Tiafoe Rallies From Two Sets Down to Reach US Open Semis

Frances Tiafoe stormed back from two sets and a break down to beat Alex Michelsen in five sets and reach his third US Open semifinal.

Frances Tiafoe came back from two sets down to defeat fellow American Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6) in a US Open quarterfinal at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The match lasted four hours and 38 minutes, ending when Tiafoe closed it on a forehand winner down the line. Tiafoe reached his third US Open semifinal, having also made the final four in 2022 and 2024.

Michelsen had been the only man in the tournament who had not dropped a set, extending that streak to 14 consecutive sets after taking the first two from Tiafoe. According to the New York Post, the 22-year-old was one game from his first career Grand Slam semifinal when he led 5-3 in the third set but double-faulted and lost momentum. Michelsen had not lost a set through his first four matches.

Serving for the match in the third set, Michelsen got off to a nervous start with consecutive double-faults, per Sportsnet, and Tiafoe eventually broke when Michelsen could not put away a shot at the net. Tiafoe then broke twice more to force a fourth set, keeping his tournament alive as the Arthur Ashe crowd rallied behind him. He recovered from a 3-0 deficit in the fifth set to force a deciding tiebreak.

According to USA Today, Tiafoe joined Andre Agassi as the only American men to reach three US Open semifinals since 2000. The New York Post reports the comeback marked the first time a man came back from two sets down at the US Open since Roger Federer beat Gael Monfils in the 2014 quarterfinals. Tiafoe will reach a career-high of No. 8 in the next rankings, per USA Today, while Michelsen is projected to rise to No. 33.

Aryna Sabalenka kept her title defense alive with a 7-6(1), 3-6, 7-6(10-7) win over Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, recovering from a break down in the final set to reach her sixth consecutive US Open semifinal. Sabalenka had not dropped a set in New York before this match. She next faces the winner of an all-American quarterfinal between third-seeded Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro.

Tiafoe awaits the winner of the night quarterfinal between defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and eighth seed Ben Shelton. An American male has not won a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open, and Tiafoe's run keeps that drought-ending hope alive. According to the New York Post, Tiafoe has now come back from two sets down three times in his career.