Frances Tiafoe cut short his celebration to console a sobbing Alex Michelsen after completing one of the biggest comebacks of the 2026 US Open, following a four-hour, 39-minute quarterfinal that sent him back to the US Open semifinals, continuing a run that has kept him among the most prominent Black tennis players on tour.
People reported that Tiafoe, 28, rallied from two sets down Tuesday to beat Michelsen, 22, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(6) inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Instead of immediately celebrating, Tiafoe went to the net and embraced Michelsen, who broke down crying on his shoulder.
Michelsen had come painfully close to reaching his first Grand Slam semifinal. He served for the match at 5-4 in the third set before Tiafoe broke back, and later led 3-0 in the fifth. Tiafoe eventually forced a deciding tiebreak and completed the comeback after four hours and 39 minutes.
Tiafoe said afterward that he immediately understood why Michelsen was emotional because he had experienced similar heartbreak himself. He has lost two five-set US Open semifinals, falling to Carlos Alcaraz in 2022 and Taylor Fritz in 2024.
The two Americans are also close friends off the court. Tiafoe said Michelsen is one of his good friends on tour and told him during their embrace that he would have many more opportunities to reach the latter stages of Grand Slam tournaments.
Michelsen later admitted that he had been trying to keep his emotions together but could not after hearing Tiafoe’s words. He said Tiafoe was one of very few people who could have made him cry in that moment and praised him for offering comfort immediately after such a draining match.
The victory sends Tiafoe to his third US Open semifinal and keeps alive his pursuit of a first Grand Slam title. His previous runs ended in the semifinals in 2022 and 2024.
Source: theGrio
