Video - Michelsen's crazy finish against O'Connell in Brisbane
Alex Michelsen's first match of the 2025 season on the ATP circuit.
The 20-year-old American, who had a good year in 2024 and broke into the top 50, was making his debut at the ATP 250 tournament in Brisbane.
Faced with local player Christopher O'Connell, Michelsen didn't make things easy for himself, and in the face of an opponent who gave him plenty of trouble, he came out on top in the end (6-4, 4-6, 7-6).
After 2 hours 23 minutes of play, the man who was semi-finalist at last week's Next Gen ATP Finals saved a match point before winning 12 points to 10 in the tie-break of the third set (see video below).
In the last three points of the match, Michelsen missed a volley that seemed within his grasp on his serve when he had match point.
He then returned to the net, this time finishing with a beautiful backhand volley that his opponent was unable to recover from.
Finally, at 11-10 in the tie-break and on Christopher O'Connell's serve, Alex Michelsen produced a winning backhand passing shot to advance to the second round.
There, he will meet another Australian player, Jordan Thompson, who upset Matteo Berrettini.
