Tiafoe returns to US Open semis with stunning comeback

NEW YORK -- Frances Tiafoe kept coming back until he had reached his third US Open semifinal, beating fellow American Alex Michelsen 5-7, 6-3, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6) on Tuesday. Tiafoe, who lost the first two sets and then trailed 3-0 in the fifth, finally ended the match in 4 hours, 38 minutes. He then jogged over to the other side of the net, where the 22-year-old Michelsen cried on his shoulder after a devasting end to his first career major quarterfinal. The No. 11-seeded Tiafoe, who reached the final four in 2022 and 2024, awaits the winner of the late match between defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, the No. 2 seed, and No. 8 Ben Shelton, who will try to guarantee the Americans have someone in the final Sunday as they seek their first men's Grand Slam title since 2003. It was the first comeback from two sets down in a US Open men's quarterfinal since Roger Federer did so against Gael Monfils in 2014. There have been three other such occasions at Flushing Meadows in the Open era. The last US Open men's quarterfinal to go to a deciding set tiebreak was in 2019 and also featured Monfils, against Matteo Berrettini. ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.