Michelsen defeats Basavareddy at Next Gen Masters

Alex Michelsen, eliminated from the Masters Next Gen in the group stage last year, kicked off his tournament this Wednesday with a four-set victory (2-4, 4-3, 4-3, 4-2) over debutant Nishesh Basavareddy.

The 41st-ranked player in the world was the favorite in this match against his fellow American, but he was pushed around and needed almost two hours to win.

Not exactly dominant on serve (59% first serves, 4 double faults), Michelsen came through the tie-break in the second and third sets to win the final set more serenely.

With this victory, he moves to the top of the red group alongside Luca Van Assche, who defeated Juncheng Shang earlier in the day.