The Grand Slam is the promised land for new generations of athletes. In the world's most important tournaments, possibilities open up and surprises don't take long. In this case, Alex Michelsen (No. 91 in the ATP rankings) shined in one of the moments of the second round, eliminating Czech Jiri Lehka.seeded 32nd, is the last champion in Adelaide and reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne last year.
Alex Michelsen was born 19 years ago in California, United States He started last season ranked 600th in the world He alternately participated in the ITF and Challenger Tour tournaments until his big break arrived on the ATP Tour.
At 250 Atlanta, a week after lifting the inaugural Challenger in Chicago, he won his first match on the tour, defeating defending champion Maxime Cressy and beginning a journey that would culminate in a championship definition in which he finally lost to the experienced Adrian Mannarino. Later, he held his first Grand Slam celebration at the US Open, eliminating Albert Ramos-Vinolas from the competition.
This gradual growth placed him on the Top 100 list for the first time in his budding career. As a final touch, he qualified for the ATP Next Gen Finals as one of the best under-21 players in the world.
Months later, starting in 2024, he ranked the two events preceding the first major event on the calendar: Brisbane and Auckland. Although he made no gains in key frames, this shoot allowed him to land ready at Melbourne Park.
In the first round, he defeated local James Maccabi 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. Then it was the turn of one of the seeded players in the draw. Jiri Lehka, who last year gave his best performance by reaching the quarter-finals and who started this tournament with a victory over Adelaide, was unable to overcome the America 2004 class: 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 and 6-4.
Entering the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career, he will meet an experienced player from the tour. Alexander Zverev (VI) will try to put an end to Michelsen's illusion. Will he get it? Or will it be a North American surprise?
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