American Alex Michelsen’s breakthrough week hit a brand new excessive on Friday on the Infosys Corridor of Fame Open.
The 18-year-old beat fourth seed Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-3 to achieve his first tour-level semifinal on the ATP 250 occasion. World No. 190 Michelsen got here out of the blocks robust, dropping only one level behind his first serve within the first set. {The teenager} then relied on his backhand in key moments to shut out the sport after an hour and 11 minutes.
“I served very properly, the first-serve proportion was in all probability fairly excessive,” Michelsen mentioned throughout his on-court interview. “Serve was key at present and I did not miss too many groundstrokes both, in order that was good.”
Michelsen arrived in Newport with out a match win at tour stage however had a career-best efficiency, beating defending champion Maxime Cressy, James Duckworth and McDonald to arrange a gathering in opposition to prime seed Tommy Paul or John Isner within the final 4.
Presently ninth within the Pepperstone ATP Dwell Subsequent Gen Race, Michelsen is aiming to debut on the Subsequent Gen ATP Finals, which options the season’s prime eight 21-and-under gamers.
The California native arrived on the grass-court event following his triumph finally week’s ATP Challenger Tour occasion in Chicago. Michelsen is ranked 152nd within the Pepperstone ATP Dwell Rankings.
