Jannik Sinner once again played a disjointed opening set, but the Italian played much better as the match went on to beat Alex Michelsen in straight sets at the 2024 US Open.
Sinner had to play a complicated match in the opening round of the 2024 US Open, in which he dropped a set against Mackenzie McDonald. He went on a brutal run after that, easily winning the match in four sets.
Something similar also happened in this match, as the World No. 1 player once again had a disjointed performance in the opening set. He broke his opponent’s serve early but then lost that advantage very quickly.
That theme remained for the rest of the set. After a few stable games from both players, Sinner broke for a 4-3 lead but then lost it immediately. He then broke for a 5-4 lead and finally held his serve to win the opening set 6-4.
It was a weird set in which Sinner was good in spots. Obviously, the World No. 1 player was better, far better. He had more winners and fewer errors, but Michelsen kept it close, which was admirable.
The second set wasn't like that, but it wasn't about Michelsen giving up. He mostly ran out of ideas on what to do against Sinner. Whatever he tried, whether to be aggressive or go to the net, it didn't work.
The top seed just had more and more solutions, and Michelsen grew frustrated with it. He rushed, he made mistakes, and very quickly, the set was gone, with the Italian player winning it 6-0.
Sinner's serve was crucial in this match. Whenever Michelsen created any chance, the top seed found some great serve that negated the chance immediately. It was frustrating for Michelsen, and the American showed it.
The third set opened with a solid game from Michelsen, who denied another bagel immediately, but he still had the same problems he had before. There wasn't much pressure coming from him from the baseline. Sinner was just too solid on his serve.
However, Michelsen didn't change his approach, he remained aggressive, attacking at any chance he got. He had to because standing on the line and trying to defend didn't really work out well for him. It rarely does for any player against Sinner.
The problem was trying to do anything on Sinner's serve. He tried various approaches: attacking, defending, and sticking in rallies, but nothing worked. Eventually, played one of those horror games on his serve, and Sinner broke his serve, taking a 3-2 lead.
From there, it was mostly cruise control for the Italian, who won the match in straight sets. Overall, it was an easy win for Sinner against an opponent who gave him far more trouble the last time they played. The final score was 6-4, 6-0, 6-2.
Jannik Sinner vs Alex Michelsen Match Stats:
| Jannik Sinner | Alex Michelsen | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Aces | 3 |
| 1 | Double Faults | 5 |
| 57% | First Serve % | 60% |
| 80% (28/35) | Points Won After First Serve % | 64% (29/45) |
| 54% (14/26) | Points Won After Second Serve % | 17% (5/30) |
| 50% (8/16) | Break Point Conversion | 40% (2/5) |
| 27 | Winners | 13 |
| 24 | Unforced Errors | 32 |
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