Mumbai: Alex Michelsen swings a baseball bat left-handed. He kicks a soccer along with his left foot. However he performs tennis right-handed. It’s a change that makes the 20-year-old American a tough opponent, as world No.12 Stefanos Tsitsipas skilled first-hand on the Australian Open on Monday.
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz beat Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko 6-1, 7-5, 6-1 on Monday. (AFP)
Enjoying on the John Cain Enviornment in Melbourne Park, Michelsen pulled off a 7-5, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 first spherical upset over the Greek eleventh seed to choose up his first-ever win over a high 20 participant at a Grand Slam. Central to the triumph was his solidity and angles he was capable of produce from his backhand facet.
Tsitsipas, the 2023 Australian Open finalist, boasts a recreation that revolves round a robust forehand and massive serve. His backhand, a sublime one-hander, although a succesful weapon, continues to be his weaker shot. On Sunday, he was usually dragged right into a cross-court backhand rally towards a participant whose pure lefty-ness gave him a bonus.
Michelsen was capable of produce the angles to assist open up the courtroom. And infrequently he would ship the ball down the road – one of many harder photographs within the sport – with ease.
Simply as he did, dramatically, with Tsitsipas down 0-30 at 3-3 within the fourth set. The Greek dominated the rally, sending the American from side to side throughout the baseline. Tsitsipas positioned an inside-out forehand deep on Michelsen’s left. However the American scrambled, operating the width of the courtroom to hammer a two-handed winner down the road.
In all, Michelsen hit 15 backhand winners to Tsitsipas’ 5, and dedicated 22 pressured and unforced errors on the identical facet in comparison with the Greek’s 46.
However it isn’t only a robust backhand that makes the American an thrilling prospect. He performs with lots of variation, throwing in drop photographs and slices to breakaway from baseline brawls and upset rhythm. It’s a method for which he credit his mother and father, each of whom had been college-level gamers.
“My mom would stay at the baseline and make every ball, I took that from her,” he had informed The New York Occasions. “My dad likes to serve and volley, come to the net and be more creative. I took that from him. I feel like I’ve combined those two very well.”
Enjoying in a sure method is one factor. Tackling a high 20 participant in a Grand Slam requires a powerful mentality as nicely.
Earlier in his nonetheless nascent profession, Michelsen was recognized to be a little bit of a sizzling head, who would break racquets and ship tennis balls over the stands. The mentality modified in the summertime of 2023 when his coach Eric Diaz informed him off.
“I told him, ‘I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you are pretty good and it’s about time to let the tennis do the talking and to control the attitude. You are going to be on stages where you will have a lot of eyes on you,’” Diaz informed NYT. “I think the realization set in and the maturity set in. He’s really carrying himself well, now.”
On Sunday, he remained centered.
“I stayed really composed today, but I don’t do that every time, unfortunately,” Michelsen, the world No.42, stated after the match. “I’m working to get there. Sometimes I just sit in my room, and I meditate sometimes and tell myself, ‘stay calm under pressure’. I did that really well today.”
And with it, he accounted for the primary main upset of this 12 months’s Australian Open.
Djokovic, Swiatek off to shaky begin
Novak Djokovic noticed Nishesh Basavareddy, 19, match him with a powerful array of photographs earlier than the 10-winner reeled him in 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
Iga Swiatek, the ladies’s singles second seed, additionally had a tricky begin regardless of beating Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 6-4. The Pole needed to overcome breaks of serve in each units earlier than transferring into the second spherical.
Sinner, Alcaraz cruise
Defending champion Jannik Sinner, nonetheless dealing with doping questions, was made to work onerous by Chile’s Nicolas Jarry earlier than the Italian world No.1 accomplished a 7-6(2), 7-6(5), 6-1 win.
Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz turned on the fashion to beat Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko 6-1, 7-5, 6-1 in a match that lasted slightly below two hours.