Frances Tiafoe needed nearly three hours to wake up Tuesday afternoon.
According to the American star, he was not the only one sleeping inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
After rallying from two sets down to defeat Alex Michelsen in a US Open quarterfinal that lasted 4 hours, 38 minutes, Tiafoe playfully called out the subdued crowd that watched him drift toward elimination.
“Everyone was asleep in the first couple hours,” Tiafoe said during his on-court interview. “I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ I was asleep with y’all.”
Tiafoe eventually gave the spectators a reason to come alive.
The No. 11 seed survived Michelsen serving for the match in the third set before completing a 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6) victory. Tiafoe took the deciding match tiebreak to secure his third US Open semifinal appearance in five years.
Arthur Ashe Stadium Awakens With Tiafoe
The atmosphere was unusually restrained during the opening two sets.
Part of that could be attributed to divided loyalties. Both players are American, leaving the spectators without an obvious villain. Michelsen’s controlled performance also gave the crowd few openings to generate momentum behind Tiafoe.
Tiafoe did not provide much energy himself.
His first-serve percentage dipped, his body language flattened and Michelsen repeatedly pressured his service games. The unseeded 22-year-old built a two-set lead, broke early in the third and appeared ready to complete the biggest victory of his career.
Then Michelsen tried to serve out the match at 5-4.
Two consecutive double faults opened the door for Tiafoe, who broke back and won four straight games to steal the third set. His level rose alongside the volume inside Ashe.
“As it went along, the energy was incredible, as it always is,” Tiafoe said.
The crowd roared through the fourth set as Tiafoe forced a decider, only for Michelsen to jump ahead 3-0 in the fifth.
Michelsen later moved within two points of victory with Tiafoe serving at 4-5. Tiafoe answered with consecutive aces, held serve and eventually forced the match tiebreak.
After Michelsen recovered from an early deficit to tie it at 4, Tiafoe won three consecutive points. He built a 9-6 advantage and converted his first match point.
Tearful Michelsen Embraces Tiafoe
The scene at the net captured what the match had taken from both men.
A tearful Michelsen buried his face in Tiafoe’s shoulder during a long embrace. Tiafoe held his countryman and offered private words of consolation after denying him his first Grand Slam semifinal.
Tiafoe then made clear that his crowd criticism was playful.
“Thank you, obviously, to the Americans, but you guys are really for me, and I really appreciate that,” he said.
Few active players share a stronger connection with New York.
Tiafoe reached his first major semifinal at the 2022 US Open, electrifying Ashe with an upset of Rafael Nadal before losing to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets. He returned to the semifinals in 2024, falling to Taylor Fritz in another five-set battle.
He also owns a 10-0 record at Louis Armstrong Stadium, which he has affectionately called “the people’s court.”
Arthur Ashe required more convincing Tuesday. For two sets, the building reflected Tiafoe’s subdued performance.
When Tiafoe finally awakened, so did New York.
Frances Tiafoe Calls Out US Open Crowd After Epic Comeback