Alex Michelsen’s Winston-Salem QF win a very good omen? | ATP Tour

Winston-Salem

Michelsen’s Winston-Salem QF win a very good omen?

American subsequent faces Carreno Busta in SFs, Goffin performs Sonego

August 23, 2024

When Christopher Eubanks captured his maiden ATP Tour title in Mallorca final yr, the American wanted to flee a gap spherical three-setter in opposition to Alex Michelsen earlier than ultimately lifting the trophy. The 19-year-old Michelsen avenged that loss Thursday on the Winston-Salem Open with a slim 7-5, 6-7(6), 7-6(5) win as he continues his personal quest for his first tour-level crown.

Will Michelsen’s tight victory in North Carolina additionally show the springboard to his first ATP Tour title?

Celebrating his twentieth birthday on Sunday, Michelsen was two factors from victory at 6/6 within the second-set tie-break, however was pressured to a decider. Producing clear hitting and a number of other acute angle passing photographs by the 6’7″ Eubanks, the teenager held his nerve to advance after two hours, 29 minutes.

“I believed we each performed fairly properly, it was a high-quality match,” Michelsen mentioned. “When he was developing with no-look volley winners, it wasn’t that enjoyable for me, however I am positive it was enjoyable for everyone else. It was a battle.

“I used to be simply going to maintain going after my photographs and I am glad it paid off. Within the second-set tie-break, I missed a pair photographs that have been a bit bit regrettable. Within the third-set breaker, I felt like I did not miss too many photographs.”

Michelsen has appeared in two tour-level finals, each of which got here in Newport (2024, 2023). The California native is hoping to go one step additional this week as he continues his quest for a High 50 breakthrough. Michelsen is competing this week at a career-high No. 52 within the PIF ATP Rankings.

Up subsequent for the eleventh seed, second within the PIF ATP Reside Race To Jeddah, is 2016 champion Pablo Carreno Busta. Michelsen is aiming for a return journey to the 20-and-under Subsequent Gen ATP Finals offered by PIF, which runs from 18-22 December. Final yr he didn’t advance past the round-robin stage.

Carreno Busta ended the dream run of Learner Tien, the 18-year-old American who was competing in his first ATP Tour occasion. The Spaniard cruised to a 6-4, 6-2 win, extending his event match-win file to 19.

The 33-year-old is into his third Winston-Salem semi-final and first total since triumphing on the 2022 ATP Masters 1000 occasion in Montreal. A seven-time tour-level titlist, Carreno Busta is taking part in simply his fifth ATP Tour event of the season. He missed a lot of the previous yr and a half resulting from elbow tendonitis.

Within the prime half of the draw, David Goffin and tenth seed Lorenzo Sonego will meet within the semi-finals after they every earned a straight-sets win. The Belgian Goffin cruised previous Rinky Hijikata 6-1, 6-3 to achieve his first semi-final since 2022 Marrakech, the place the 33-year-old received his most up-to-date trophy of six tour-level titles.

Sonego produced a heavy-hitting efficiency to oust Pavel Kotov 6-3, 7-5. The primary Italian semi-finalist in Winston-Salem event historical past, the 29-year-old created 16 break possibilities, changing three of them, in response to Infosys ATP Stats. Friday might be Sonego’s first tour-level semi-final of 2024.

Goffin leads Sonego 1-0 of their Lexus ATP Head2Head sequence. Their earlier assembly got here in 2021 on the ATP 250 in Montpellier, an occasion that Goffin went on to win.

Watch Thursday’s Prolonged Highlights: