By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-09-09 04:48:22 | Updated at 2026-09-09 05:19:29
50 minutes ago
Frances Tiafoe of the United States reacts after defeating Daniil Medvedev in their fourth round match on Day Eight of the U.S. Open in New York on Sept. 6, 2026. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Frances Tiafoe came back from down two sets to win an all-American thriller at the U.S. Open quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Tiafoe threw his racket and put his arms up in celebration after hitting a passing shot against 22-year-old Alex Michelsen that clinched the fifth-set tiebreak and the 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6) match.
“The moment’s huge. Yeah, I mean, [I] cannot downplay it all,” Tiafoe, 28, said after the match. “It feels amazing to get this done.”
The 11th seed got a crucial break when Michelsen was serving for the match at 5-4 in the third set, which turned everything around.
“I was able to finally get some momentum, see some balls in the court, get in some rallies, find myself at the net into some good shots to get the crowd going,” Tiafoe said.
Tiafoe enters his third semifinal at the U.S. Open, while having never made it this far at any other major.
For the unseeded Michelsen, the four-hour defeat was a heartbreaker. The two opponents, and friends, embraced at the net after the match for a long hug where Michelsen cried into Tiafoe’s shoulder.
“It’s a tough match, but you know, I fought as hard as I could and you know, it just didn’t go my way today,” the Southern Californian said after the match. “[I’m] trying to keep my head high.”
Michelsen, who double-faulted in the crucial third set service game, said nerves played a big part in the turnaround.
“I went to the bathroom after the third [set] and tried to recover mentally,” he said. “[I have] a lot of regrets.”
The tournament, where Michelsen didn’t drop a single set prior to this match, is still the furthest he’s made it at any grand slam.
His good friend Learner Tien, who’s also from Southern California, suffered a heartbreaker as well in a five-set loss to Karen Khachanov on Monday night.
With those two Americans out, just two men left can end the 23-year drought of American champions at the U.S. Open.
Despite American men winning six U.S. Open titles in the ‘90s and once being on top of the sport, Andy Roddick winning at Flushing Meadows in 2003 was the last time an American man has won any major.
The highest ranked American, eighth-seeded Ben Shelton, will play defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain on Tuesday night.
Shelton, who made a U.S. Open semifinal in 2023, has lost all three of his matches against Alcaraz, winning only a single set during them.
The winner of their quarterfinals matchup will play Tiafoe in the semifinals.
