Tiafoe mounts epic comeback to knock out Michelsen

Frances Tiafoe turned a seemingly lost US Open quarterfinal into a dramatic five-set victory, recovering from two sets down to defeat fellow American Alex Michelsen and return to the semifinals.

The 12th-ranked Tiafoe dropped the opening sets 5-7 and 3-6 against Michelsen, ranked 46th, who was playing in his first Grand Slam quarterfinal. The 22-year-old had not lost a set on his way to the last eight and appeared ready to complete another upset when he led 5-4 in the third set with the chance to serve for the match.

Under the pressure, however, Michelsen produced two consecutive double faults and surrendered the break. Tiafoe seized the opportunity, took the third set 7-5 and then won seven games in a row to move 3-0 ahead in the fourth. Michelsen fought back, but Tiafoe claimed the set 6-3.

Tiafoe then had to recover from a 3-0 deficit in the fifth set before forcing a 10-point super tiebreak. After completing the comeback 10-6, he ran to embrace Michelsen, who broke down in tears. The victory marked Tiafoe’s third US Open semifinal appearance, following his runs in 2022 and 2024, when he lost to Carlos Alcaraz. He could face Alcaraz again if the Spaniard defeats American Ben Shelton in the other quarterfinal.