Alex Michelsen

Alex Michelsen

Michelsen at the 2023 Cary Challenger II
Country (sports)	United States
Born	(2004-08-25) August 25, 2004 (age 20) Aliso Viejo, California, U.S.
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Turned pro	2023
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach	Jay Leavitt, Eric Diaz
Prize money	US $1,779,517
Singles
Career record	41–38 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 41 (November 11, 2024)
Current ranking	No. 42 (November 18, 2024)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	3R (2024)
French Open	1R (2024)
Wimbledon	1R (2024)
US Open	2R (2023, 2024)
Doubles
Career record	7–8 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 93 (November 4, 2024)
Current ranking	No. 94 (November 11, 2024)
Grand Slam doubles results
Wimbledon	1R (2024)
US Open	1R (2022, 2024)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
US Open	2R (2023)
Last updated on: 20 November 2024.

Alex T. Michelsen (born August 25, 2004) is an American professional tennis player. He has a career high ATP singles ranking of world No. 41 and a doubles ranking of No. 93, achieved in November 2024. ^[1] He is currently the second youngest player in the top 50.

Junior career

Michelsen won the singles and doubles title at the 2022 Easter Bowl, becoming the first American champion in both disciplines since Donald Young in 2006. ^[2] He also won the 2022 Wimbledon Boys' doubles title with Sebastian Gorzny. ^[3] He was committed to play college tennis at the University of Georgia, but then decided to turn pro. ^[4]

Professional career

2022: Grand Slam doubles debut

In August 2022, Michelsen made his Grand Slam doubles debut at the US Open playing alongside Sebastian Gorzny, losing in the first round.

In November 2022, Michelsen won his first title on the ITF Tour in East Lansing.

2023: Turning Pro, ATP, Major & Top 100 debuts, First ATP final & Challenger title

In February, Michelsen reached his first Challenger final in Rome, USA, losing to Jordan Thompson. ^[5] In March, Michelsen received a qualifying wildcard for the 2023 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

In June, he made his ATP debut at the 2023 Mallorca Championships as a lucky loser, losing in the first round to eventual champion Christopher Eubanks. ^[6] In July, Michelsen won his first Challenger title in Chicago, defeating Yuta Shimizu in the finals. Later that month, he reached his first final on the ATP Tour at the 2023 Hall of Fame Open in Newport, ^[5] where he lost to second seed Adrian Mannarino. ^[7] Michelsen turned professional two weeks later, foregoing his college eligibility ^[4] and in August, he made his debut at a Major when he received a wildcard into the men's singles event at the US Open. ^[8] He defeated Albert Ramos Viñolas in straight sets to progress to the second round where he lost to 23rd seed Nicolás Jarry. ^[9] As a result, he reached a new career high of No. 117 on 11 September 2023. At the same tournament, he also enters the mixed doubles competition with Robin Montgomery and reached the second round on his debut.

Next he reached the semifinals at the 2023 Cary Challenger II but lost to eventual champion Zachary Svajda. ^[10] He won his second Challenger in Knoxville and made his top 100 debut. ^{[11] [12]} In November, he qualified for the 2023 Next Generation ATP Finals. ^[13]

2024: Major third round, Masters debut & first wins & doubles final, top 50

He reached the third round at the 2024 Australian Open defeating wildcard James McCabe and 32nd seed Jiří Lehečka on his debut at this Major. As a result, he reached the top 75 in the singles rankings. ^[14]

At the 2024 Dallas Open he defeated qualifier Tennys Sandgren but lost to top seed Frances Tiafoe. ^{[15] [16]} The following week at the 2024 Delray Beach Open, ^{[17] [18]} he defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis in straight sets. ^{[19] [20]} He lost to Dallas champion Tommy Paul in a tight match with a third set tiebreak. ^[21] At the next tournament, the 2024 Los Cabos Open, in the following week, he entered as an alternate and defeated another alternate player Constant Lestienne. He recorded the biggest win and first top 10 win of his career, defeating newly arrived top 10 player and the fourth seed, previous year runner-up Alex de Minaur in straight sets, losing only five games, to reach the quarterfinals. ^{[22] [23]} He lost to eventual champion Jordan Thompson after winning the first set 6-0 and having three match points. ^[24] At the 2024 BNP Paribas Open, he recorded his first Masters win over Jaume Munar on his debut. At the age of 19, he became the youngest American player to win a match at this level since Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe were both winners at that same age in Miami in 2017. ^{[25] [26]} He lost again to fellow American, 17th seed Tommy Paul. He also made his debut at the 2024 Miami Open and recorded his first win over qualifier Lukáš Klein in straight sets.

He recorded his first ATP clay court win at the 2024 BMW Open in Munich with a win over wildcard Max Hans Rehberg. ^[27] He reached the top 65 on 20 May 2024, following his first round losses at the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open and at the Italian Open and a second round loss at the Challenger 2024 Open de Oeiras II. A week later he entered the top 60 after reaching his first ATP clay court quarterfinal with a win over third seed and compatriot Taylor Fritz at the 2024 Geneva Open, his second top 15 win. ^[28]

With his first grass court win of the season over Nuno Borges in Mallorca, he became the youngest player to win a match at the tournament. As a result, he reached the top 55 in the singles rankings. ^[6] Michelsen reached a consecutive final at the 2024 Hall of Fame Open, defeating Reilly Opelka in the semifinals ^{[29] [30]} before losing to Marcos Giron. ^[31]

At the 2024 Cincinnati Open he reached the second round and improved his career-high to world No. 52 on 19 August 2024. In doubles, at the same tournament, he reached his first ATP and Masters 1000 doubles final as a wildcard pair, partnering Mackenzie McDonald, with a win over world No. 1 pair of Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos. ^{[32] [33]} At the next North American swing tournament, the 2024 Winston-Salem Open, he reached the semifinals defeating Márton Fucsovics, Zizou Bergs, and Christopher Eubanks. ^[34] By making his second final of the season, after the retirement of wildcard Pablo Carreño Busta, he reached the top 50 on 26 August 2024. ^{[35] [36]} At the US Open, he recorded his second win at this Major defeating qualifier and compatriot Eliot Spizzirri. He qualified for the main draw of the 2024 Japan Open Tennis Championships and upset fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, his second top 20 win of his career ^{[37] [38]} and then fellow qualifier Christopher O'Connell to reach the quarterfinals. ^[39]

Performance timelines

Key

W

F

SF

QF

#R

RR

Q#

DNQ

A

NH

(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Singles

Current through the 2024 Next Generation ATP Finals.

Tournament	2023	2024	SR	W–L	Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open	A	3R	0 / 1	2–1	67%
French Open	A	1R	0 / 1	0–1	0%
Wimbledon	A	1R	0 / 1	0–1	0%
US Open	2R	2R	0 / 2	2–2	50%
Win–loss	1–1	3–4	0 / 5	4–5	44%
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Indian Wells Masters	Q1	2R	0 / 1	1–1	50%
Miami Open	A	2R	0 / 1	1–1	50%
Monte-Carlo Masters	A	Q1	0 / 0	0–0	–
Madrid Open	A	1R	0 / 1	0–1	0%
Italian Open	A	1R	0 / 1	0–1	0%
Canadian Open	A	1R	0 / 1	0–1	0%
Cincinnati Masters	A	2R	0 / 1	1–1	50%
Shanghai Masters	A	2R	0 / 1	1–1	50%
Paris Masters	A	2R	0 / 1	1–1	50%
Win–loss	0–0	5–8	0 / 8	5–8	38%
Career statistics
Tournaments	5	29	Career total: 34
Titles	0	0	Career total: 0
Finals	1	2	Career total: 3
Overall win–loss	7–8	34–30	0 / 34	41–38	52%
Year-end ranking	97	42

Significant finals

Masters 1000 tournaments

Doubles: 1 (1 runner-up)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	2024	Cincinnati Open	Hard	Mackenzie McDonald	Marcelo Arévalo Mate Pavić	2–6, 4–6

ATP Tour finals

Singles: 3 (3 runner-ups)

Legend Grand Slam (0–0) ATP Finals (0–0) ATP Masters 1000 (0–0) ATP 500 (0–0) ATP 250 (0–3)

Finals by surface Hard (0–1) Clay (0–0) Grass (0–2)

Finals by setting Outdoor (0–3) Indoor (0–0)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	0–1	Jul 2023	Hall of Fame Open, United States	ATP 250	Grass	Adrian Mannarino	2–6, 4–6
Loss	0–2	Jul 2024	Hall of Fame Open, United States	ATP 250	Grass	Marcos Giron	7–6(7–4), 3–6, 5–7
Loss	0–3	Aug 2024	Winston-Salem Open, United States	ATP 250	Hard	Lorenzo Sonego	0–6, 3–6

Doubles: 1 (1 runner-up)

Legend Grand Slam (0–0) ATP Finals (0–0) ATP Masters 1000 (0–1) ATP 500 (0–0) ATP 250 (0–0)

Finals by surface Hard (0–1) Clay (0–0) Grass (0–0)

Finals by setting Outdoor (0–1) Indoor (0–0)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	0–1	Aug 2024	Cincinnati Open, United States	ATP 1000	Hard	Mackenzie McDonald	Marcelo Arévalo Mate Pavić	2–6, 4–6

ATP Challenger and ITF World Tennis Tour finals

Singles: 9 (4 titles, 5 runner-ups)

Legend ATP Challenger Tour (2–2) ITF WTT (2–3)

Finals by surface Hard (4–5) Clay (0–0) Grass (0–0) Carpet (0–0)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	0–1	Feb 2023	Georgia's Rome Challenger, USA	Challenger	Hard (i)	Jordan Thompson	4–6, 2–6
Win	1–1	Jul 2023	Chicago Men's Challenger, USA	Challenger	Hard	Yuta Shimizu	7–5, 6–2
Win	2–1	Nov 2023	Knoxville Challenger, USA	Challenger	Hard (i)	Denis Kudla	7–5, 4–6, 6–2
Loss	2–2	Nov 2023	Champaign–Urbana Challenger, USA	Challenger	Hard (i)	Patrick Kypson	4–6, 3–6

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	0–1	Oct 2022	M15 Winston-Salem, USA	WTT	Hard (i)	Toby Samuel	1–6, 5–7
Win	1–1	Nov 2022	M15 East Lansing, USA	WTT	Hard (i)	Alexander Kotzen	7–6(7–2), 6–1
Loss	1–2	Jan 2023	M25 Malibu, USA	WTT	Hard	Arthur Fery	4–6, 6–2, 4–6
Win	2–2	Jan 2023	M15 Edmond, USA	WTT	Hard (i)	Lucas Renard	6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–4), 6–1
Loss	2–3	Mar 2023	M25 Calabasas, USA	WTT	Hard	Nathan Ponwith	3–6, 7–6(7–5), 5–7

Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Legend ATP Challenger Tour (0–0) ITF WTT (1–1)

Finals by surface Hard (1–1) Clay (0–0) Grass (0–0) Carpet (0–0)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	0–1	Aug 2022	M15 Memphis, USA	WTT	Hard	Cooper Williams	Millen Hurrion Finn Reynolds	0–6, 1–6
Win	1–1	Nov 2022	M15 East Lansing, USA	WTT	Hard (i)	Learner Tien	Joshua Goodger Emile Hudd	6–4, 6–3

Junior Grand Slam finals

Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	2022	Australian Open	Hard	Adolfo Daniel Vallejo	Bruno Kuzuhara Coleman Wong	3–6, 6–7(3–7)
Win	2022	Wimbledon	Grass	Sebastian Gorzny	Gabriel Debru Paul Inchauspé	7–6(7–5), 6–3

Wins over top 10 players

• Michelsen has a 1–4 record against players who were, at the time the match was played, ranked in the top 10. ^{[40] [41]}

Season	2024	Total
Wins	1	1

#	Player	Rk	Event	Surface	Rd	Score	Rk	Ref
2024
1.	Alex de Minaur	9	Los Cabos Open, Mexico	Hard	2R	6–4, 6–1	74	[42]

*As of 21 February 2024 ^[update]

Equipment

Michelsen's equipment of choice includes the Babolat Pure Aero racket, complemented by RPM Blast strings.

References

1. "Alex Michelsen | Overview | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour.
2. John, Andrew L. "Orange County native Alex Michelsen wins singles, doubles at Easter Bowl in Indian Wells". The Desert Sun.
3. "Americans Liv Hovde, Sebastian Gorzny and Alex Michelsen win Wimbledon junior events". USTA. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
4. "Michelsen Turns Pro, Forgoing College Eligibility". August 6, 2023.
5. Eichenholz, Andrew. "The Rapid Rise Of Alex Michelsen". ATP Tour.
6. "#NextGenATP Michelsen makes history in Mallorca". 26 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
7. "Mannarino Ends Michelsen's Dream Run, Wins Newport Title". ATP Tour.
8. "John Isner joins talented teenagers among 2023 US Open men's wild cards".
9. "Arthur Fils & Alex Michelsen Earn Wins on US Open Debuts | ATP Tour | Tennis".
10. "The Fierce Competitive Spirit of Alex Michelsen | ATP Tour | Tennis".
11. "#NextGenATP Trio Michelsen, Darderi, & Nardi Claim Challenger Titles; American Michelsen cracks Top 100". 13 November 2024.
12. "#NEXTGENATP TEEN MICHELSEN ON TOP 100 DEBUT: 'THIS ISN'T THE END GOAL'".
13. "Michelsen, Medjedovic & Nardi Qualify For Next Gen ATP Finals". Next Generation ATP Finals . 20 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
14. "#NextGenATP pair Michelsen, Shang charge into AO R3".
15. "Frances Tiafoe beats 19-year-old Alex Michelsen to reach Dallas Open quarterfinals". Associated Press News . 9 February 2024.
16. "American Tiafoe into quarterfinals at Dallas Open". 9 February 2024.
17. "Michelsen's magnificent rise: 'I'm really proud of myself'".
18. "Michelsen's magnificent rise: 'I'm really proud of myself'".
19. "Michelsen makes dominant Delray Beach debut".
20. "Michelsen makes dominant Delray Beach debut".
21. "Paul Michelsen Delray Beach Open 2024 Thursday | Delray Beach Open | Tennis". 16 February 2024.
22. https://twitter.com/atptour/status/1760464423628513606 ^{[ bare URL ]}
23. "Michelsen stuns De Minaur, Tsitsipas starts title defence in Los Cabos". 22 February 2024.
24. "Ruud rolls, Tsitsipas advances to Los Cabos semi-finals; Thompson saves three match points, beats Michelsen".
25. "Alex Michelsen comes full circle at Indian Wells".
26. "Michelsen makes U.S. history with Indian Wells debut win".
27. "Michelsen clinches first tour-level clay-court win in Munich". 15 April 2024.
28. "Michelsen stuns Fritz to reach first clay-court QF in Geneva". 22 May 2024.
29. "Hall of Fame Open: Michelsen advances to final". Tennis Majors. 20 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
30. "American teenager Alex Michelsen ends Reilly Opelka's Newport comeback in semifinals". Tennis.com. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
31. "Giron saves championship point against Michelsen to win first ATP Tour title in Newport". ATPTour. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
32. "Cincinnati Open stunners continue as No. 1 men's doubles pair are eliminated". 18 August 2024.
33. "Home favourites McDonald/Michelsen stun Granollers/Zeballos to reach Cincinnati final". ATPTour. 18 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
34. "Michelsen's Winston-Salem QF win a good omen?". ATPTour. 23 August 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
35. "Michelsen cracks Top 50, meets Sonego in Winston-Salem final". ATPTour. 23 August 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
36. "#NextGenATP Michelsen cracks Top 50, Mover of Week". 26 August 2024.
37. "#NextGenATP Michelsen downs Tsitsipas in Tokyo". ATPTour. 26 September 2024.
38. "Alex Michelsen surges past ailing Stefanos Tsitsipas in Tokyo; Tommy Paul cruises". tennis.com. 26 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
39. "Kei Nishikori advances to quarters at a Japan Open full of upsets". The Japan Times. 28 September 2024.
40. "AM Win/Loss".
41. "Alex Michelsen vs Top 10". Tennis Abstract.
42. "Los Cabos Open: Michelsen upsets De Minaur to reach quarters". Tennis Majors. 22 February 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.

External links

• Alex Michelsen at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Alex Michelsen at the International Tennis Federation