Frances Tiafoe paused his jubilant celebration after a dramatic five-set comeback victory over Alex Michelsen at the US Open to offer comfort to his fellow American. The two players shared a tearful embrace at the net following Tiafoe's win in the quarterfinals on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Tiafoe, who dropped the first two sets before rallying, saw Michelsen approaching his chair and went over to embrace him. "As soon as I hugged him I saw he was crying already and I was like, ‘Man I know, I’ve been there already, twice to be fair,’" Tiafoe said, referencing his own tough five-set losses earlier in the year at the French Open and Wimbledon. "But he’s young and he hasn’t been there. We’re super tight, we’ve always had a great relationship. We laugh and joke all the time. He’s like one of my good buddies on tour. I know how much that hurts. I know how much he wanted it today, it’s something that you dream about. I just told him, ‘Bro, I know, but you are going to be here so many more times and I am going to be in a rocking chair when you do.’"
Michelsen, 22, had reached the quarterfinals without losing a set, defeating higher-ranked opponents along the way. He appeared poised to continue that trend against the 28-year-old Tiafoe, holding a 5-3 lead in the third set and serving for the match. However, a series of unforced errors, including two double faults, allowed Tiafoe to break serve and then win seven consecutive games to close out the third set and gain momentum.
The fifth set proved to be a back-and-forth affair, with momentum shifting between the two Americans before Tiafoe ultimately prevailed in a tiebreak. "I don’t think anyone else could have made me cry in that moment, to be honest,” Michelsen said. “Frances, he’s such a good guy, and he said a lot of personal things and just kind of got to me.”
Tiafoe's victory sets up an all-American semifinal match against Ben Shelton. Michelsen's run in the Grand Slam concluded after a match that highlighted his promising future on the tour and the sportsmanship shared between competitors.