Is Michelsen’s quarterfinal win in Winston-Salem a good omen?

When Christopher Eubanks won his first ATP Tour title in Mallorca last year, the American had to escape a three-set first-round loss to Alex Michelsen before eventually lifting the trophy. Michelsen, 19, got his revenge on Thursday at the Winston-Salem Open with a tight 7-5, 6-7(6), 7-6(5) victory as he continues his own quest for his first Tour title.

Will Michelsen’s narrow victory in North Carolina also be the springboard to his first ATP Tour title?

Michelsen, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Sunday, was two points from victory at 6-6 in the second-set tiebreak but was forced to go to the deciding set. Producing clean shots and several sharp-angled passes from the 2.01m Eubanks, the teenager held his nerve to advance after two hours and 29 minutes.

“I think we both played well, it was a high-quality match,” Michelsen said. “When he hit the winners without looking, it wasn’t much fun for me, but I’m sure it was fun for everyone. It was a battle.”

“I was just going to keep hitting and I’m glad it paid off. In the second set tiebreak, I missed a few shots that were a little unfortunate. In the third set tiebreak, I felt like I didn’t miss many shots.”

(ATP APPLICATION)

Michelsen has appeared in two tour-level finals, both in Newport (2024, 2023). The California native hopes to go even further this week as he continues his quest to break into the Top 50. Michelsen enters this week at a career-high No. 52 in the ATP PIF Rankings.

The next opponent for Michelsen, seeded 11th and runner-up in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, will be his close friend Learner Tien or 2016 champion Pablo Carreno Busta. Michelsen is aiming for a return to the ATP Next Gen 20-U Finals presented by PIF, which runs from December 18-22. Last year, he failed to advance past the group stage.

In the top half of the draw, David Goffin and No. 10 seed Lorenzo Sonego will meet in the semifinals after each securing a straight-set victory. Belgian Goffin overcame Rinky Hijikata 6-1, 6-3 to reach his first semifinal since Marrakech 2022, where the 33-year-old won his most recent trophy in six tour-level titles.

Sonego produced a powerful performance to eliminate Pavel Kotov 6-3, 7-5. The first Italian semifinalist in Winston-Salem tournament history, the 29-year-old created 16 break chances, converting three of them, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Friday will be Sonego’s first tour-level semifinal of 2024.

Goffin leads 1-0 against Sonego in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Their previous meeting was in 2021 at the ATP 250 in Montpellier, an event Goffin won.

(NEWSLETTER FORM)