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Can Tiafoe carry his epic quarterfinal win with him all the way to a US Open title?
Confirmed
In Short: American Frances Tiafoe staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Alex Michelsen in five sets and advance to his third US Open semifinal.
American Frances Tiafoe punched his ticket to a third career semifinal at the US Open with a five-set thriller against fellow American Alex Michelsen on Tuesday night. The match began with Michelsen jumping out to an early lead, but Tiafoe dug deep and overcame a two-set deficit to secure a 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 victory. Tiafoe, who had struggled throughout the first half of the match, produced a strong finish to take the decisive fifth set. After the match, Tiafoe and Michelsen embraced at the net, with Tiafoe offering words of encouragement to his opponent, who was visibly emotional.
Tiafoe came into the match 2-17 in his career at grand slams (0-4 at the US Open) when trailing 0-2 in sets, but this victory marks his most impressive comeback of his career. The 22-year-old's performance has raised questions about his potential to carry this form all the way to a US Open title. 'As soon as I hugged him I saw he was crying already,' Tiafoe told ESPN, reflecting on the emotional moment with his opponent.
Michelsen, who improved to 14-0 in sets this year at the US Open, will now focus on his singles campaign, which begins on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Tiafoe will face a formidable challenge in the semifinals, where he will likely face Aryna Sabalenka, who has also advanced to the last four after a tough five-set battle against Linda Noskova. Sabalenka admitted she was pushed to the limit but managed to retain her US Open title bid.
Can Tiafoe carry his epic quarterfinal win with him all the way to a US Open title? The young American's performance suggests he is capable of more, but the road ahead is steep. Tiafoe will need to maintain his form and continue to defy expectations as he aims to make history at Flushing Meadows.
What's still developing
- Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett have won the US Open doubles title on five occasions Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid started their bid for a sixth wheelchair doubles title at the US Open with a dominant opening victory in New York.
- Hewett, 28, and Reid, 34, have 25 Grand Slam doubles titles as a pair and begin their singles campaigns on Wednesday.
- The match began with Michelsen jumping out to an early lead as Tiafoe's serve let him down early and Michelsen pounced on him with a break in the third game and seemed like he might never look back.
- He took the first set 7-5 and the second set featured more of the same from Michelsen, who was much sharper on his serve and was able to break Tiafoe twice to take the second set comfortably 6-3.
- From the brink, Frances Tiafoe takes the third set 🤯 Alex Michelsen is now 14-1 in sets this fortnight. pic.twitter.com/lr74NF3BJZ The fourth set saw Michelsen's struggles continue, as Tiafoe got his serve back on track and ripped off the first three games to seize control and ultimately cruised to a 6-3 win to send the match to a decisive fifth set.
- The 22-year-old served to start the set and then broke Tiafoe at love to grab an early advantage, consolidating that break to go up 3-0.
- Tiafoe seemed flat throughout the first half of the match -- producing an awful first serve percentage below 40% in the first three sets -- and struggled to create the spark he needed to flip the momentum onto his side.
- It was a tough loss for 21-year-old Noskova, who was bidding to become only the third woman this century – and the first whose surname is not Williams – to win Wimbledon and the US Open back-to-back.