Tears flow as tennis star lets two-set lead slip in first major quarterfinal

In short: Eleventh seed Frances Tiafoe has come back from a set and a break down to beat 22-year-old Alex Michelsen in their US Open quarterfinal. Michelsen, ranked 46th in the world, had never made it past the second round at his home slam before his run this year. What's next? Tiafoe will play either Carlos Alcaraz or Ben Shelton in his third US Open semifinal. Frances Tiafoe has cut short his celebration to console friendly rival Alex Michelsen after coming back from two sets down to reach the US Open semifinals for the third time. The 11th seed recovered time and time again to beat Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(10/6) and end the 22-year-old's first trip past the second round at his home slam. Unseeded world number 46 Michelsen, whose previous best at a grand slam was a fourth-round berth at the 2025 Australian Open, was up a break in the third set and served for the match at 5-4 but Tiafoe won seven straight games to stay alive and take a commanding lead in the fourth frame. Michelsen refused to go away though, taking a 3-0 in the decider, only for Tiafoe to once again storm back and take the set in a 10-point tiebreak. After drilling a forehand passing shot down the line to secure the win after four hours and 38 minutes, Tiafoe began to celebrate his great escape before cutting his elation short to embrace his compatriot, who cried into his shoulder. "As soon as I hugged him I saw he was crying already," Tiafoe told ESPN. "I was like 'Man I know. I've been there twice, lost in five.' … He's young and he hasn't been there. "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. "I know how much that hurts. I know how much he wanted that today. It's something that you dream about. "I just told him, 'You're going to be here so many more times, man. And I'm going to be in a rocking chair when you do.'" Tiafoe appeared to have lost all the magic of his early campaign before wresting the momentum in the third set and clinching it with a forehand winner to the deafening cheers of the fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Michelsen had flown under the radar in his deepest major run but he earned respect on the biggest stage of American tennis with 21 aces and 55 winners against Tiafoe, although he counted the cost of 61 unforced errors in the marathon match. "I slowly, slowly started getting my rhythm there," said Tiafoe, who will next play either eighth seed Ben Shelton or defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. "He's a hell of a player. I mean, he easily could have won today." Michelsen said after his fourth-round victory that he had improved and would try to change things, but was glad to have shared the court with a friend. "He's also an unbelievable guy and a very good friend of mine," Michelsen said. Michelsen left the court with a towel on his head, raising his arm to acknowledge the cheers from the crowd. The ABC of SPORT Reuters/AP