US Open 2026 results: Frances Tiafoe makes biggest Grand Slam comeback of her career to reach semi-finals

Francis Tiafoe punched his ticket to his third career US Open semifinal with a five-set thriller against American Alex Mickelsen on Tuesday night (5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6).

Tiafoe entered the match 2–17 (0–4 at the US Open) in his Grand Slam career, trailing 0–2 in sets, but was pushing to make the most impressive comeback of his career and earn a place in the semi-finals for the third time in five years in New York. Tiafoe will now face the winner of No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz and No. 8 seed Ben Shelton in the semifinals as he tries to reach his first-ever Grand Slam final.

Michelsen, meanwhile, came very close to the first Grand Slam semi-final of his career, but fell to 0-3 lifetime in five-set matches. However, the young American produced his best Grand Slam performance of his career and proved that he is another threat for the young American in the men’s game.

The match started with Michelsen taking the lead as Tiafoe’s serve failed him early and Mickelsen pounced on him with a break in the third game that looked like he would never look back. He won the first set 7-5 and did the same in the second set from Michelsen, who was much sharper on his serve and was able to break Tiafoe twice to take the second set comfortably 6-3.

Michelsen, who was the only player to reach the quarter-finals without dropping a set, appeared to be on course for another set win after an early break in the third set put him back on top.

Tiafoe seemed flat throughout the first half of the match – posting an abysmal first serve percentage of under 40% in the first three sets – and struggled to generate the spark he needed to turn the momentum in his favor. He had the opportunity midway through the third set to return to serve and put pressure on Michelsen, getting a triple break point with Mickelsen before the break to move 4-3 into the semi-finals, but Michelsen broke off five points in a row to take the score to 5-3.

However, Tiafoe finally got the break he needed in the 10th game when Michelsen tried to serve out the match and let out a huge scream to set himself and the crowd on fire and take things to a fourth set. Michelsen’s serve, which had dominated from the start, began to break as the finish line was in sight and the pressure of the moment seemed to be getting to the 22-year-old. Tiafoe was able to capitalize and make it three games in a row, winning the third set 7-5, increasing the pressure on his young opponent.

Michelsen’s struggles continued in the fourth set, with Tiafoe getting his serve back on track and breaking the first three games to seize control, eventually securing a 6-3 win to send the match into a deciding fifth set. Just when Tiafoe looked like he was about to come out of the gate, Michelsen came roaring out of the gate in the final set. The 22-year-old served to start the set and then broke Tiafoe at love to gain an early lead, sealing the break and going 3-0 up.

Tiafoe finally got on the board in game four, and the pendulum swung back in the veteran’s favor as he returned to serve, beating Michelsen in game five. After this, the tension increased as both men managed to hold serve for the next seven games, resulting in a 10-point tiebreaker and progress to the semi-finals.

Tiafoe was the first to draw blood in the tiebreaker, taking advantage of an early mini-break to go up 4-2 as they approached the chairs for the first change. The No. 11 seed continued to put pressure on Michelsen with big serves and was able to extend his lead to 7-4, requiring something impressive from the 22-year-old to avoid a crushing defeat in five sets.

Michelsen failed to make the final turn in a marathon match and Tiafoe was able to hit a forehand winner to win 10-6 and complete the biggest comeback of his career.

After the match, Tiafoe and Mickelsen hugged at the gate, and the young American could not hold back his tears as Tiafoe hugged him and offered some words of encouragement.