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Frances Tiafoe recovered from two sets and a break down to beat American compatriot Alex Michelsen at the US Open, reaching the semifinals for a third time in a thrilling fightback.
Tiafoe appeared to have lost all the magic of his early campaign in New York before wresting the momentum in the third set and clinching it with a forehand winner to take the match 5-7 3-6 7-5 6-3 7-6(6).
He will next play either eighth seed Ben Shelton or defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
"I slowly, slowly started getting my rhythm there," said Tiafoe. "He's a hell of a player, man."
Tiafoe thrived in his beloved Louis Armstrong Stadium this week but struggled to hit his stride on the Arthur Ashe court, sending four winners versus his opponent's 15 in the opening set, before handing over the critical break on set point.
Michelsen did some of his best work running up on the net in the second set, where he got the decisive break with a fine backhand strike, and he sent another shot down the line to break in the opening game of the third.
But Tiafoe dug in his heels, levelling it in the 10th game as Michelsen lost his poise, and the veteran slammed his foot on the gas with another break on set point before winning the first three games of the penultimate set.
The two brought their best tennis to a nerve-searing final set, where the crowd sprang to their feet as Tiafoe sealed the win before embracing an emotional Michelsen after closing out the four-hour and 38-minute contest.
Tiafoe offered words of encouragement to a weeping Michelsen.
"I don't think anyone else could have made me cry in that moment, to be honest," said Michelsen. "Frances, he's such a good guy and he said a lot of personal things and just kind of got to me."
The moment of good sportsmanship attracted almost as much attention as Tiafoe's monster comeback.
"I understand the moment," Tiafoe said. "He was definitely crying on my shoulders. Yeah, we just had some words for each other, and that was it."
Tough test for Sabalenka
World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka survived her toughest test of the tournament to beat Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova 7-6(1) 3-6 7-6(10-7) and reach the semifinals for a sixth consecutive year.
The defending champion had not dropped a set before facing the Czech sixth seed, who fired 18 aces and saved seven of nine break points but faltered when leading by a break in the final set.
Sabalenka, chasing a third straight title at Flushing Meadows, next plays the winner of an all-American clash between Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro.
"What a battle. What an incredible player she is. I'm speechless right now because I was pushing myself to the limit this match," Sabalenka said after Tuesday’s match.
The Belarusian broke in the second game, whipping a forehand into the corner that Noskova did not even attempt to chase down, but the Czech broke back with a pair of powerful groundstrokes from the baseline in the ninth.
Sabalenka, who reached a record 21 consecutive tiebreak wins at the slams earlier this year, was completely in her element in the opening-set tiebreak, where she sprinted through the first six points.
But her firepower deserted her in the second set and she struggled to contain Noskova's serve before handing the Czech a 4-2 lead with a double fault.
After levelling the contest at one set all, Noskova set about pressing home her advantage.
Sabalenka screamed in frustration when a pair of double faults midway through the third set helped her opponent secure another break. Noskova seemed to be heading for an upset win before Sabalenka recovered her poise to level the contest in the eighth game.
And the Belarusian was right at home again in the decisive tiebreak, clinching it with an ace before giving credit to the fans for helping to propel her to the win.
Kiwi knocked out of doubles
New Zealand tennis player Erin Routliffe and her partner have been beaten in the quarterfinals of the doubles.
Ninth seeds Routliffe and Aldila Sutjiadi, of Indonesia, were beaten 7-6, 6-5 by unseeded Robin Montgomery and Ashlyn Krueger, of the US.
They now go on to play second seeds Gaby Dabrowski of Canada and Luisa Stefani of Brazil in the semifinals.
Flushing Meadows had been a favourite tournament for Routliffe, 31, where she and former partner Dabrowski won there in 2023 and 2025.
It is Routliffe's best result in Grand Slams this year, after failing to go any further than the third round at the Australian Open, Roland Garros or Wimbledon.
- additional reporting RNZ