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Frances Tiafoe Stuns Michelsen, Reaches US Open Semifinals

9/9/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Frances Tiafoe rallied from two sets down to beat Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6) and reach semifinals.
Alex Michelsen served for the match at 5-4 in the final set before Tiafoe broke back.
Tiafoe rose to No. 8 in live ATP rankings, a career high.
It was the first US Open quarterfinal comeback from two sets down since 2014, the fifth in the Open era.

History

Historical Context

In 2008 Rafael Nadal erased a two-set deficit to beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon, ending Federer’s 65-match grass-court winning streak and earning Nadal his first non-French-Open major. The comeback echo resurfaced when Frances Tiafoe rallied from two sets down to defeat Alex Michelsen in the 2024 US Open quarterfinal, propelling him into the top-10.

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Story summary

Frances Tiafoe rallied from two sets down to beat Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6) and reach semifinals.
Alex Michelsen served for the match at 5-4 in the final set before Tiafoe broke back.
Tiafoe rose to No. 8 in live ATP rankings, a career high.
It was the first US Open quarterfinal comeback from two sets down since 2014, the fifth in the Open era.

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