Alex Michelsen Wins in Almaty, Ends Losing Streak with New Coach

ALMATY, Kazakhstan — Alex Michelsen, a 21-year-old American tennis player, broke a five-match losing streak by winning his debut match at the Almaty Open on Wednesday. Michelsen defeated local player Beibit Zhukayev 6-2, 6-3 in the Almaty Arena.

Michelsen had just arrived in Kazakhstan on Monday after reaching the ATP Masters 1000 doubles final in Shanghai, where he finished as a runner-up with Sweden’s Andre Goransson. ‘It’s good matches, it’s good money and it’s good pressure points as well,’ he told TENNIS.com.

After struggling in singles, Michelsen expressed relief at ending his losing stretch. ‘Definitely a tough go lately in singles, so super happy to end that little streak I was on,’ he said. ‘The altitude here, I feel like it’s helpful for my game. Shots are penetrating a little more.’

He noted that while Zhukayev has a strong serve, he observed that his opponent seemed to be injured. ‘I saw he had a lot of tape and his back was taped up,’ Michelsen said.

This victory improves Michelsen’s indoor career record to 10-10. He acknowledged that he has not performed as well as he could have in indoor matches. ‘I’ve definitely underachieved indoors,’ he added.

In his match against Zhukayev, Michelsen aimed to play aggressively at the net. ‘Especially in the altitude, the balls are flying a little more,’ he remarked, highlighting the importance of being offensive in his strategy.

After his win, Michelsen received a Kazakh coin from the on-court emcee. He is in Kazakhstan with a small team that includes a new coach, Kristof Vliegen. ‘As of now, we’re doing a little trial period,’ Michelsen shared. His long-time trainer, Byron Manning, is also accompanying him.

If Michelsen wins his next match against Aleksandar Vukic, he will advance to his seventh tour-level quarterfinal this year. The sixth seed aims to become the ninth first-time title winner on the ATP Tour this season. ‘I definitely want to get a title,’ he concluded, recalling his near victory in the Newport final last year.