Tiafoe rallies past Michelsen for third US Open semifinal — SkimNews
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- Frances Tiafoe rallied from two sets down and a 3-0 fifth-set deficit to defeat Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6) in 4 hours, 38 minutes, reaching his third US Open semifinal.
- It was the first two-sets-down comeback in a US Open men's quarterfinal since Roger Federer rallied past Gael Monfils in 2014 — and the first quarterfinal tiebreak at the event since Monfils-Berrettini in 2019.
- Alex Michelsen, the No. 46 who had not dropped a set all tournament, served for the match at 5-4 in the third but opened with consecutive double faults and was broken; the 22-year-old then fell to 0-6 in career five-set matches.
- After match point, a tearful Michelsen cried on Tiafoe's shoulder at the net in a show of sportsmanship.
- Tiafoe joins Andre Agassi as the only American men to reach three US Open semifinals this century and will return to the top 10 rankings for the first time in three years.
- Tiafoe next faces the winner of Carlos Alcaraz vs. Ben Shelton — a matchup that could send two Americans to the final as they chase a first men's Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick in 2003.
Why it matters: An American man has not won a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Tiafoe's third US Open semifinal keeps that drought-breaker storyline alive heading into the final four. With Ben Shelton potentially joining him on the other side of the bracket, both finalists could be American for the first time in over two decades — and Tiafoe's return to the top 10 confirms he remains a legitimate Slam threat at 27.
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