Frances Tiafoe roars back from 2 sets down vs. Alex Michelsen to reach third US Open semifinal

There's something about Frances Tiafoe in New York City.

Facing the unseeded Alex Michelsen in the US Open quarterfinals, the fan favorite American looked lost after two sets and more, only to roar back for a 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 win. His reward will either be No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz or No. 8 Ben Shelton in the semifinals on Friday.

The match came down to a final 10-point tiebreaker, which Tiafoe ended with a passing shot winner. It was an exhilarating win for Tiafoe and a heartbreaking collapse for his friend Michelsen, who could be seen crying as the two shared a post-match embrace.

Per ESPN , it's the first time a player has come back from two sets down in a US Open quarterfinal since Roger Federer stunned Gael Monfils in 2014.

It will be the third US Open semifinal of Tiafoe's career, having reached that far in 2022 and 2024 and lost to Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz respectively. Even without a title, it's a remarkable run of success at Flushing Meadows for a player who has never been higher than No. 10 in the rankings.

Among all Grand Slams, Tiafoe has reached the quarterfinals only six times. Four of those are at the US Open, which accounts for all of his three wins in those matches.

This run looked in peril early. Michelsen came out of the gate continuing to dominate as he did in his first four matches, having not yet dropped a set despite facing seeded opponents in No. 16 Brandon Nakashima and No. 27 Tomás Martín Etcheverry.

Tiafoe was clearly frustrated, at one point receiving a ball abuse warning for launching one into the suite level. Michelsen eventually found himself up 7-5, 6-3, 5-3, serving for the match in the third set. It appears nerves got to him there, as he opened the game with a pair of double faults. That was all Tiafoe needed to flip the match.

"Obviously, he gave me some gifts with a couple double faults there," Tiafoe said in his post-match interview. "I slowly, slowly started getting my rhythm there, snuck out that third set, only started playing better and better. He's a hell of a player man, he easily could have won today."

Tiafoe won seven straight games between the end of third set to the start of the fourth, with the crowd coming alive after each win. It might have been an All-American match, but the stadium clearly favored the veteran.

Michelsen might not have been thrilled with playing the villain. As the veteran kept storming back, the 22-year-old could be seen arguing with his coaches and at one point complaining about a fan sitting behind him as he served. ESPN commentator Andy Roddick speculated he might have been bothered by the noise of the fan eating nachos, which is rarely an issue when things are going well.

Tiafoe took the fourth set with ease and clearly had momentum going into the fifth set, bombing serves up to 137 mph and outlasting Michelsen in rallies thanks to an erratic forehand from the underdog.

There was one more twist though, as Michelsen got his timing back on Tiafoe's second serve and broke him on his first service game. The match was once again in his favor, at least until Tiafoe broke him back to put them back on serve all the way up to the final tiebreaker.