Alex Michelsen arrived in Kazakhstan on Monday for this week’s Almaty Open, having spent the previous days competing in Shanghai, where he reached his second career ATP Masters 1000 doubles final alongside Sweden’s Andre Goransson. Though they finished as runners-up, Michelsen found the experience valuable.
“It’s good matches, good money, and good pressure points,” he told TENNIS.com. “It’s not the same as singles, but you get serve reps, return reps, and net reps, which really help my game.”
That match play seemed to pay off quickly. On Wednesday, Michelsen made a strong singles debut at the Almaty Arena, defeating local hopeful Beibit Zhukayev 6-2, 6-3, snapping a five-match losing streak dating back to Cincinnati.
“It’s been a tough stretch in singles, so I’m really happy to end that streak,” said the world No. 36. “The altitude here helps my game—shots have more penetration. Beibit has a huge serve, so I expected a tough battle, but he seemed to struggle with some injury, with a lot of tape on his back.”
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Michelsen credited his baseline play as a key factor in the win. “I played really well from the baseline for the first time in a while. There are lots of positives going forward.”
His win brought his career indoor record to an even 10-10. Reflecting on his indoor results, Michelsen admitted, “I’ve definitely underachieved indoors, but I absolutely love playing under a roof.”
Throughout the match, Michelsen’s strategy was clear: finish points at the net whenever possible. “The balls fly a bit more in altitude, making it easier to be offensive. That’s a big part of my game—being on the front foot and coming forward.”
After the match, the on-court emcee presented the 21-year-old with a Kazakh coin for his collection—a small memento from the city hosting his current stop on the tour.
Despite the quick turnaround from China, Michelsen is working with a compact team: new coach Kristof Vliegen, with whom he’s currently on a trial period, and longtime trainer Byron Manning.
“If things go well, we’ll see what happens,” Michelsen said.
Looking ahead, a win Thursday against Aleksandar Vukic would send Michelsen to his seventh ATP Tour-level quarterfinal this year. The sixth seed is aiming to become the ninth first-time ATP Tour winner in 2023.
“I definitely want to win a title. I was one point away last year at Newport, so that’s a big goal for me moving forward,” Michelsen concluded.
