Open to reach his third US Open semi-final in New York.
The 22-year-old Californian hadn’t dropped a set through the first four rounds of the tournament and played like a seasoned veteran, pinning his opponent deep behind the baseline with deep, heavy groundstrokes.
Michelsen, ranked No. 46 in the world, had already taken out No. 16 seed Brandon Nakashima and No. 27 Tomas Etcheverry en route to nearly reaching the semis at the Open. Both of Michelsen’s parents, Sondra and Erik, played college tennis, and he originally intended to play for the University of Georgia before announcing via Instagram in August 2023 that he would bypass college to compete full-time on the ATP Tour.
The Third-Set Collapse and Tiafoe’s Pivot
The Third-Set Collapse and Tiafoe’s Pivot
Michelsen held a commanding two-sets-to-love lead and served for the match at 5-4 in the third set. Michelsen failed to close out the match, opening the door for Tiafoe to launch a remarkable rescue operation. Up 7-5, 6-3, 5-4, Michelsen produced two double faults to start the game and didn’t make a single first serve in it. Tiafoe broke, then held serve, and then broke again to make it a two-sets-to-one deficit.
Tiafoe admitted he took a tactical mental break between sets to reset his approach. I went to the bathroom and I was just looking at myself like, Just don’t lay down, stay with it, make him earn it, see if he gags a little bit because obviously the moment’s so big and he’s never really been there and that’s ultimately what happened, Tiafoe said after the match.
Inside the Decisive Five-Set Marathon
Inside the Decisive Five-Set Marathon
The match stretched across four hours and 38 minutes, before a jam-packed crowd that watched the energy inside the stadium shift dramatically. After Tiafoe clawed back the third and fourth sets, the fifth set brought a thrilling final set of multiple breaks and swings of momentum before Tiafoe triumphed in the 10-point tie-break. Both men were captured in New York on September 08, 2026, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center during Day Ten of the 2026 US Open.
“Crazy match today. Obviously, I didn’t feel like I was at my best but Alex played really well. He wasn’t nervous for the moment, and he really made me come up with some good stuff.”
Frances Tiafoe, No. 11 seed
Post-Match Embrace and Looking Ahead to Friday
Post-Match Embrace and Looking Ahead to Friday
As the final ball landed, Tiafoe skipped his celebration with his player box, sprinting instead directly to Michelsen, who was in tears and crying on his opponent’s shoulder. Having suffered his own crushing five-set defeats on major tournament stages in the past—including giving up a lead in the 2024 semifinal against Taylor Fritz—Tiafoe offered immediate and deep empathy to his close friend on tour.
“As soon as I hugged him, I seen he was crying already and I was like, ‘Man, I know. I’ve been there, I’ve been there twice, to be fair, lost in five… We’re super tight, we’ve always had a great relationship, we laugh and joke all the time, he’s one of my good buddies on tour.”
Frances Tiafoe
Frances Tiafoe Reaches Third U.S. Open Semifinal
The victory advances the 28-year-old American to his third US Open semi-final in five years. On Friday, Tiafoe will face the winner between defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and American eighth seed Ben Shelton, as he continues his pursuit to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick lifted the trophy at the 2003 U.S. Open.
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