Australian Open: US 20-year-old Michelsen upsets Tsitsipas as Tiafoe overcomes vomiting spell
Alex Michelsen secured the biggest win yet of his young career by upsetting 2023 number two Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round of the Australian Open, and he knew instinctively where the honor belonged.
The 20-year-old American overcame nerves on serve in the fourth set before recording a 7-5, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Tsitsipas, the No. 11 seed in this year’s tournament, on Monday.
Michelsen started playing tennis at the age of three and played most days as a child with his mother, Sondra, a teacher who played college tennis.
“Yes, I’m sure she’s watching now,” Michelsen said after the game. “Yes, we hit a million balls from the baseline every day. We go halfway for about 30 minutes, and then we cross for about an hour and a half. I mean, we’d just go out there and she’d never miss a ball – she’s incredible. But without her, I wouldn’t be here without a chance, so thank you mom. Love you.”
Michelsen, ranked No. 42, reached the third round in his Australian Open debut last year before losing in the first rounds at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and in the second round at the US Open.
His victory over Tsitsipas was Michelsen’s first against a player in the top 20 at a grand slam.
He played freely against Tsitsipas and got big shots with his service returns – including three in the ninth game of the fourth set, which earned him a crucial break. He became tense on serve and gave up two hard-earned breaks in the fourth set, but remained calm in the final game.
“Yes, I didn’t take the most direct route, that’s for sure. Shouldn’t have been broken twice in the fourth. My service let me down. Double faults served far too often,” he said. “But I also came back very, very well. I felt like I was winning most of the basic rallies when I was inside the baseline and in control of the point. So I thought at 4-4, after being broken twice, and said, ‘You’re still in this, just play every point for what it is.’ I played a great 4-all game and got it done at 5-4.”
He finished the match with eight aces and eight double faults, but hit 46 winners and only 40 unforced errors.
“First of all, I just tried to stay super calm out there. I knew it was going to be a battle in the end,” he said. “It’s all about the mentality.”
Elsewhere on Monday, Frances Tiafoe threw up during his five-set victory over Arthur Rinderknech and said afterwards that he might have quit if this had just been an everyday tournament.
Seventeenth seed Tiafoe, who turns 27 in a week, managed to win the chaotic match 7-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7, 6-3 in just over four hours.
“If it had been any other likely event, I probably would have let it go,” Tiafoe said of a fallow period in the fourth set. “But here you have to risk everything.”
Tiafoe said heat was not an issue during a match that started at 11am. Instead, he said he was probably over hydrated.
“It’s a difficult time… I feel like it’s very difficult to prepare,” Tiafoe said. “I’m glad I got through it, glad everyone came out and enjoyed the four hours of tennis that were much longer than it should have been.”