Frances Tiafoe’s run to the men’s semifinals at the U.S. Open is a huge deal, but his Cinderfella story is even bigger than just him.

When Tiafoe takes the Arthur Ashe Stadium court Friday night to face Carlos Alcaraz, he’ll be the first African American man to get this deep in the Open since Ashe himself 50 years ago. The impact of the moment may not take another half-century to be felt, as it provides a beacon for other young black men to follow.

“It’s not really [pressure],” Tiafoe said. “Every time I win, I just want to inspire a bunch of people to just know that you can. I mean, anything is possible.

“For me do this and talk about how I feel about being in the U.S. Open from my come-up is crazy. At the end of the day I love that because of Frances Tiafoe there’s a lot of people of color playing tennis. That’s obviously a goal for me. That’s why I’m out here trying pretty hard.”

It hasn’t been easy, or simple. But it has been compelling and captivating, a story that has drawn fans to Tiafoe. And it’s his game, style and megawatt smile that will likely draw followers down the line.

The son of immigrants who fled the Sierra Leone civil war in the 1990s, Tiafoe lived in a room in the Maryland tennis center his janitor father helped build, sleeping on a table. Tiafoe isn’t an overnight sensation, it just seems that way.

“I first met Francis when he was 6 years old. I was a coach at the Junior Tennis Champion Center for four years so I met him and his parents and his twin brother Franklin,” USTA president of development Martin Blackman told The Post. “Even at that time, at the beginning, he had a love for tennis. … His racket was almost as tall as he was. He was always watching tennis, a student. That passion was there.”

The Williams sisters helped draw the likes of Coco Gauff to the sport. Tiafoe has had NBA star Bradley Beal coming to cheer him on in his quarterfinal win over Rafael Nadal, and LeBron James tweeting at him, so his cool points can appeal to black youth.

“It’s a big deal,” Blackman said. “Because kids have a lot of things to choose when it comes to sports. They’re going to gravitate to someone who they think is cool … and Frances is cool.

“But that impact doesn’t happen unless you win as well, unless you get to the top, and Frances is doing both. He’s connecting with young people. He’s making it cool. He’s got the swag, he’s having fun. But he knows when to shift into business mode. And it’s an opportunity to get more boys of color into the sport because it’s not something where they feel like ‘Oh, tennis isn’t cool.’ They see Frances out there. … So the opportunity with Frances is a big one, and we’ve got to capitalize.”

That business mode is an extra gear Tiafoe has developed the past two years. From diet to mentality to putting a solid team behind him, Tiafoe has blossomed from prospect to professional.

“The last couple of years his commitment has gone to another level and his discipline,” Blackman said. “Throughout the summer there were some close matches that he lost. … At Wimbledon against [David] Goffin. [Nick] Kyrgios in D.C., he had some match points. He had some leads against [Sebastian] Korda and [Taylor] Fritz.

“Lots of times when players lose those matches, they’ll get discouraged and go backwards. For Frances it was the opposite: He learned from those and really put it into action. You saw it come to fruition in the way he closed out that quarterfinal against Nadal. He was all business. … That’s one more sign of his maturity.”

And the Flushing Meadows crowd has responded to the ebullient Tiafoe, perhaps as much as to any American player here this year.

“That’s love, man. I really appreciate that,” Tiafoe said. “That stuff gets me emotional, for sure. Seeing people screaming your name, just loving what you’re doing. That’s awesome. That’s what it’s all about. Everyone loves a Cinderella story: Just trying to make one.”