Alex the Great - Alex Michelsen Thread
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robyrolfo
Hall of Fame
Thompson comes off as a total a-hole on the court.
Sure does, exceeds Murray levels of consternation.
Bill Lobsalot
Hall of Fame
I don't like him, but he is a fighter. That Pure Drive takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'.
Bill Lobsalot
Hall of Fame
Experience won out in that match. He might have gotten a little overconfident after the bagel.
Surprised there's not a thread for the Los Cabos Tournament??
Surprised there's not a thread for the Los Cabos Tournament??
atatu
Legend
He's currently ranked #74, it would be great if he could crack the top 30 by the end of the year. For context, Korda and Eubanks are #33 and #34, Fils is #36 and Thompson is #40.
Solid 7-6, 6-2 win over Klein in the opening round of Miami to rise to a career-high #70 in the live rankings. He has a winnable second round match against Griekspoor to set up a possible ginger battle against Sinner in the third round.
robyrolfo
Hall of Fame
Klein choked away quite a few chances to take control of that first set. Didn't see the second. But Griekspoor is a solid player, so it won't be all that easy for Michelson, if he can win at all.
Definitely agree. The kid is still young - he'll figure out how to win these matches. Still some questionable shot choices - tries to pull out the drop shot from the baseline way too often, cost him several points vs Purcell.
Biggest win of Alex's career as he takes down #12 Fritz to reach the Geneva QF, taking the third set 7-5 after missing match points at 5-4.
Alex moves to a career-high #60 in the ATP live rankings, which is impressive given that he's still learning the clay surface. I'll be really interested to see how he does on grass after he reached the Newport final last year.
Alex moves to a career-high #60 in the ATP live rankings, which is impressive given that he's still learning the clay surface. I'll be really interested to see how he does on grass after he reached the Newport final last year.
FrankyRelax
Professional
Almost yipped again. Maybe he can turn the page now that he closed one out
TennisHound
Legend
Satisfying seeing Fritz and/or Michelson get beat.
PapaTennis
New User
Hoping this exercises the demons going back to the Thompson meltdown.
Michelsen reverses the result of last year's Newport final and beats Mannarino, 7-6, 6-4 to advance to the Mallorca QF. He's up to a career-high #54 in the live rankings. It's been steady progress for him this year. If he can stay healthy and keep improving the rest of the year and the offseason, he could be a real threat next year.
Rovesciarete
Hall of Fame
A glance at his stats. He seems to have gone the wrong way but in contrast to 2023 he has yet to play in Challengers. His return numbers are holding up very well and he has won a surprisingly high 50.6% of points which dovetails well with a DR of 1.02.
As I have written before he is an un-orthodox American as he returns well and has a great backhand. Movement is still subpar but he is very young and looks the part with his baby-face. Size is excellent and there is some big upside for his serve. The forehand is also easier to improve and he seems to have a good, smart work ethic.
American brands should keep a close eye and fear to pull the trigger too late.
As I have written before he is an un-orthodox American as he returns well and has a great backhand. Movement is still subpar but he is very young and looks the part with his baby-face. Size is excellent and there is some big upside for his serve. The forehand is also easier to improve and he seems to have a good, smart work ethic.
American brands should keep a close eye and fear to pull the trigger too late.
| TOTALS | Match | Tiebreak | Ace% | 1stIn | 1st% | 2nd% | Hld% | SPW | Brk% | RPW | TPW | DR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last 52 | 49-35 (58%) | 19-13 (59%) | 6.3% | 67.6% | 70.1% | 53.0% | 80.6% | 64.6% | 22.9% | 37.5% | 51.0% | 1.06 |
| hide yearly totals | show splits | |||||||||||
| 2024 | 20-20 (50%) | 9-8 (53%) | 5.6% | 68.6% | 68.1% | 51.7% | 77.9% | 63.0% | 24.1% | 37.7% | 50.6% | 1.02 |
| 2023 | 61-27 (69%) | 17-8 (68%) | 5.6% | 67.2% | 70.2% | 53.5% | 80.4% | 64.7% | 24.5% | 38.4% | 51.4% | 1.09 |
| 2022 | 23-10 (70%) | 5-4 (56%) | 2.2% | 59.2% | 67.7% | 50.2% | 70.9% | 60.6% | 32.5% | 42.4% | 51.1% | 1.08 |
| Career | 104-57 (65%) | 31-20 (61%) | 5.4% | 67.2% | 69.3% | 52.7% | 79.0% | 63.9% | 24.8% | 38.5% | 51.1% | 1.07 |
I'm guessing his clay results are dragging his overall numbers down. He didn't play any ATP level matches on clay last year. This year, he was 3-7 and got smoked by De Minaur at the French Open, 6-1, 6-0, 6-2.
Rovesciarete
Hall of Fame
Embedded the highlights against Berrettini. Grass makes his movement look worse and while the overall plan was good he sometimes struggled to read the game. You should almost never slice toward the forehand side of Matteo as it only breaks down when pulled into a run. Arguably he should also rely more on patient baseline exchanges and attack when having a higher percentage ball. Overall he is still learning the game, more so on the green.
His trademark shot might be the backhand pass and he is so solid out of that wing. Will be one to watch!
His trademark shot might be the backhand pass and he is so solid out of that wing. Will be one to watch!
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Rovesciarete
Hall of Fame
Seems like. Lacks experience and the big forehand. Great to see him try, will help him in the long run.
Michelsen back into the Newport finals for the second straight year with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Opelka. And, while Reilly has been out of the game for a while, breaking a big server like that on grass so many times is pretty impressive. He goes for his first career title against the winner of Giron and Eubanks tomorrow.
Rovesciarete
Hall of Fame
Could not do much but I like his problems. His recent losses haven’t been bad ones, he is a fighter despite his baby face. Like his grass game, should bring him a lot more success in years to come.
Moose Malloy
G.O.A.T.
lost to Nishikori today in Toronto, was up a set and a break.
Good, aggressive win by Michelsen over Griekspoor, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2. Still a couple weeks shy of turning 20, Michelsen reaches a career-high #51 in the live rankings. More importantly, he sets up a "ginger battle" between him and world #1 Jannik Sinner in the next round. This should be a solid shot to gauge his game and areas for improvement as he hits the home stretch of his first full season at the ATP level and heads into the offseason to work on his game and conditioning. This is pretty much exactly where I expected him to be this season, and I think he has a strong shot at the top 30 next season if he can stay healthy.
Joseph_K
Hall of Fame
A week to remember for Alex Michelsen at the 125th edition of the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati. Before the tournament began the American was ranked no. 413 in doubles, but now that he and Mackenzie McDonald have reached the men’s doubles final, Michelsen is set to be ranked at least around no. 118 when the new doubles rankings are released next week. If he and McDonald were to beat Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in Monday's final, Michelsen would move up to around no. 75 in the doubles rankings.
ghostofMecir
Legend
He’s been putting things together after a down period typical for players his age. He’s got a chance here at Winston-Salem looking at the draw though will, of course, have to play and win a bunch of 50-50 matches. Don’t think anyone will be more than a -160ish favorite over him.
PapaTennis
New User
Highest-ranked player left in WS draw. A definite opportunity for that first trophy!
What a crazy tournament. Every player seeded between #1-9 lost their first match, except #2 seed Jack Draper, who withdrew. Definitely a good opportunity for Michelsen and the other remaining players to take the title.
PapaTennis
New User
I'm only a little over an hour away so I may be making alternative weekend plans if he makes the final. Saw him in Cary last year, just really like the kid.
ghostofMecir
Legend
Played up to his potential in that match. Zizou isn’t a great player but it’s is very, very difficult to win a match that easily at the ATP level against a non-injured opponent who is not a futures’ player. Grest signs for Alex and for Learner.
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Michelsen sneaks past Eubanks, 7-5, 6-7, 7-6 to reach his first SF on hard court. Big win for the 19 year-old, and he should have a solid shot against the winner of PCB and Tien.
Great embrace at the end between the Yellow Jacket and the (almost) Bulldog:
Great embrace at the end between the Yellow Jacket and the (almost) Bulldog:
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Tallawah Tennis
Semi-Pro
Nice from the kid at Winston Salem, beating Eubanks who played well.
ghostofMecir
Legend
Michelsen didn’t play that well but on the rise up you have matches like this one. He has a real shot at this title.
Michelsen went down 5-2 (two breaks) in the first set, but came back to take the set in a tiebreaker, with some strong, aggressive play. Went up in the second set before PCB retired with injury. Just before turning 20, Michelsen cracks the top 50 for the first time in the live rankings at #48 and sets up a match with Sonego in the Winston-Salem final.
Tallawah Tennis
Semi-Pro
Well done Alex.
PapaTennis
New User
Loving it. Solid chance tomorrow for that first trophy!
Going back in time, I see some Kafelnikov: similar height and size. Top notch two-handed backhand. Some serious net skills and doubles ability. Strong strategic minds. Solid serves, but could be bigger given their height. Some good power on the forehand, but less reliable than their backhands.
I agree that the ability to earn some more cheap points on serve would be a big benefit to his game.
ghostofMecir
Legend
Good calls here. Brooksby was such a unique player and was sure fire top 5 player and a slam contender with a serve commensurate with his height. It’s absolutely wild he had everything but the height.
Michelson with an improved serve will be a player nobody wants to deal with as there will be very few easy games on serve or return for the opponent.
A win today and he’s top 40. He has shown some real resilience after some close losses, many in matches he should have/easily could have won. The Ofner match in Mallorca, the match vs. Harris at Wimbledon, the Giron match in Newport, the Cobolli match in Washington..he very easily could be going for top 32 this USO and/or already be there.
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ghostofMecir
Legend
Wow. Did not expect that at all. He got beaten like he was a futures level player
Tallawah Tennis
Semi-Pro
Man, that was disappointing. Still, good to make the final. Happy 20th birthday to him on Sunday.
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The Green Mile
Bionic Poster
Seems like every 2nd match these days, a player is doing something idiotic on the court, so damn lucky he wasn't defaulted in that final after hitting a spectator whilst going down 0-4 in the 1st set.
