Frances Tiafoe kept coming back until he had reached his third U.S. Open semifinal, beating Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6) on Tuesday (September 8, 2026).
Tiafoe, who lost the first two sets and then trailed 3-0 in the fifth, finally ended the match in 4 hours, 38 minutes. He then jogged over to the other side of the net, where the 22-year-old Michelsen cried on his shoulder after a devastating end to his first career major quarterfinal.
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Tiafoe said his performance to start the match was slow and flat.
“It wasn't good, let's put it that way. It wasn't good,” he said. “Three out of five is a blessing, because you have time to get it together. I definitely waited for the last minute.”
