Frances Tiafoe did not pretend his US Open comeback unfolded entirely on his racket.
He needed Alex Michelsen to drop a level. He needed the 22-year-old to feel the magnitude of the moment. Most of all, Tiafoe needed his countryman to tighten up with the biggest victory of his career resting on his strings.
That is precisely what happened.
“I hoped he’d get tight,” Tiafoe acknowledged during his on-court interview Tuesday. “Obviously, he gave me some games with a couple double faults there, and then I slowly, slowly started to get my rhythm.”
Tiafoe capitalized on Michelsen’s late nerves to erase a two-set deficit and secure a remarkable 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6) victory in their all-American quarterfinal at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The No. 11 seed advanced to his third US Open semifinal in five years. He will face the winner of Tuesday night’s quarterfinal between defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton.
Alex Michelsen Let Match Slip Away
For most of the first three sets, Michelsen looked like the more composed player.
The unseeded Californian took advantage of Tiafoe’s slow start, controlled the baseline and built a two-set lead. Michelsen then broke early in the third and eventually served for the match at 5-4.
That was when the occasion finally appeared to catch him.
Michelsen opened the game with consecutive double faults, giving Tiafoe the opening he had been waiting for. The more experienced American broke back, claimed four consecutive games and stole the set.
“Snuck out that third set and only started playing better and better,” Tiafoe said.
Once Tiafoe found his rhythm, the match changed. His forehand carried more weight, his serve became dependable and his body language brought the crowd back into the contest.
Tiafoe took the fourth set and appeared to have control, only for Michelsen to rediscover his game in the fifth. Michelsen surged ahead 3-0 and moved within two points of victory with Tiafoe serving at 4-5.
Tiafoe responded with consecutive aces.
The set eventually reached a match tiebreak, where Tiafoe won three straight points after the score was tied at 4. He converted his fourth match point to complete the four-hour escape.
Tiafoe Consoles Tearful Michelsen
Any impression that Tiafoe took pleasure in Michelsen’s collapse disappeared at the net.
Michelsen buried his face in Tiafoe’s shoulder and appeared to be in tears as the two Americans shared a long embrace. Tiafoe held him there, offering private words of consolation after denying him the biggest victory of his young career.
It was a striking image: One American celebrating his third US Open semifinal while another processed how close he had come to reaching his first.
Tiafoe’s candid admission could have sounded harsh without that moment—or the rest of his answer. He was not dismissing Michelsen’s performance or suggesting the younger American simply handed him the victory.
“He’s a hell of a player, man,” Tiafoe said. “He easily could have won today. So shout out, big ups to him.”
The embrace gave those words additional weight.
Tiafoe understood Michelsen’s devastation because he has endured his own crushing five-set defeats inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Alcaraz stopped him in the 2022 semifinals, while Taylor Fritz denied him a place in the final two years later.
On Tuesday, experience separated Tiafoe and Michelsen by the smallest possible margin. Tiafoe recognized his opponent’s anxiety and used it to survive.
Once the match ended, however, Tiafoe met a crushed Michelsen not merely as an opponent, but as someone who understood exactly what that heartbreak felt like.
Frances Tiafoe Makes Brutally Honest Alex Michelsen Admission After US Open Escape