Americans are on a roll in their home tournament in Newport! Five out of eight places have already been occupied by American tennis stars, and we’re all set for yet another all-American clash in the QF. Alex Michelsen takes on Aleksandar Kovacevic at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships on Thursday (July 18). The 19-year-old tennis player has been in good form this year and has already made it through to three QFs before this. Well both of them have played some exceptional tennis in their matches in this tournament. Now, it will be interesting to see who can make the most of his chances right from the word go in this enticing encounter.
Alex Michelsen vs Aleksandar Kovacevic: Preview
Michelsen is entering this contest after his two-set triumph over another compatriot in the R16. He defeated Maxime Cressy by 6-4,6-4, but could only manage to hit a single ace in the entire match. However, he successfully managed to put a check on his double fault counts marking just one against Cressy. His first serve win percentage was 77% while it was around 80% on the second serve. Michelsen converted two out of three breakpoints.
2023 finalist defeats 2022 champion
Alex Michelsen gets past Cressy 6-4 6-4 to reach the QFs in Newport.#InfosysHallofFameOpen pic.twitter.com/YthK5vL6MW
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) July 17, 2024
Now, if take a look at his numbers from this season, the teenage sensation has hammered 128 aces and committed 75 double faults. He has won 76% of his service games and 36% of his return games.
On the other hand, the 25-year-old Kovacevic defeated Arthur Rinderknech (France) in the R16 by a three-set thriller. He hit six aces and committed two double faults. His first serve win percentage was 74%, while on the second serve, it dropped to 59%. Kovacevic managed to convert three out of his nine breakpoints against the Frenchman.
However, looking at his overall stats in the 2024 season, the New York-based tennis star has scored 166 aces and committed just 65 double faults so far. He has won 81% of his service games and 13% of his return games.
Michelsen vs Kovacevic: Head-to-Head
Both of these youngsters have met each other twice in their careers so far. The 19-year-old Alex Michelsen had the last laugh in both of those encounters. Can he complete his hat-trick this time around? Time will tell!
- Their first meeting was in the R16 of 2023 Challenger Chicago, US. In that match, Michelsen thrashed Kovacevic by 6-4,6-2.
- Then again, he came back a year later with another victory in the R32 of the Geneva Open, but this time it took him three sets to topple the 25-year-old 3-6, 6-3, 64.
Prediction: Michelsen to win in three sets
Michelsen is in a better form this year than Kovacevic. He has a win-loss record of 14-19 compared to 7-14 of Kovacevic. Not only that, Michelsen reached the finals of this tournament in the 2023 season. However, Kova could only manage to reach the first round last year. So, in terms of current form and previous record in this tournament, Alex Michelsen looks a bit ahead of his senior opponent.
KOVACEVIC KEEPS GOING !
Aleksandar Kovacevic
defeats Arthur Rinderknech
6-3, 3-6, 7-5 and moves on in Newport
He will face Alex Michelsen
— Tennis4Fun (@Tennis_4Fun) July 17, 2024
Michelsen is currently ranked 61 in the world and he has a strong two-handed backhand to put his opponents in trouble. He often tends to come forward, especially during his services, and loves to serve big. Michelsen can be a really tricky player to handle at times!
Kovacevic needs to be a bit careful of his backhands as well. However, if we look at Kovacevic’s biggest strength then it’s surely gonna be his strong forehand, but is it enough to stop the teenage challenger? Perhaps not!
The post ATP Newport: Alex Michelsen vs Aleksandar Kovacevic; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction appeared first on EssentiallySports.
