Michelsen Battles Through to Almaty Open Semifinals
American rising star Alex Michelsen advanced to the semifinals of the Almaty Open after a hard-fought three-set victory in the quarterfinals on Friday. Michelsen overcame an early deficit in the deciding set to prevail 6–2 in the third, showing trademark composure and resilience against a surging opponent.
«He had a five or six-game stretch where he was playing unbelievable,» Michelsen said after the match. «I just tried to stay super solid through that. My serve got me out of some tough situations, and I stayed mentally strong. It was a good matchup overall.»
Although the final set scoreline appeared comfortable, Michelsen revealed it was far from straightforward. «I was actually down a break,» he explained. «He was playing great late in the second and early in the third. I just kept fighting and stayed focused. His level dropped a bit—he looked like he might’ve been feeling unwell—but I just tried to stick to my game, and it paid off.»
At just 21 years old, Michelsen remains one of the youngest players in the draw and continues to impress with his maturity and consistency on tour.
«Yeah, I just turned 21, so I’m still kind of a baby out here,» he smiled. «This is almost my second full year on the main tour. It’s really cool to get this experience at a young age to travel the world, play these matches and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.»
When asked about his experience playing under the captainship of Andre Aggasi at the Laver Cup , Michelsen said « It was an incredible experience. Andre is unbelievable guy who's got a one of a kind tennis mind, the way he sees the game, it's just different than the rest of us. There's a couple little tips and pointers that he shared that I would like to keep to myself. But, he's helped and hopefully I can play again next year as it was one of the best tennis experiences of my life».
The sixth seeded Michelsen will next face the winner of match between German Jan Lennard Struff and eighth seeded Corentin Moutet of France for a spot in the Almaty Open final.
With his win today Michelsen made his third Semifinal of the season after Delray Beach and Mallorca also becoming the third American semi-finalist at the event after Tiafoe in 2020 and Korda in 2023.
«He had a five or six-game stretch where he was playing unbelievable,» Michelsen said after the match. «I just tried to stay super solid through that. My serve got me out of some tough situations, and I stayed mentally strong. It was a good matchup overall.»
Although the final set scoreline appeared comfortable, Michelsen revealed it was far from straightforward. «I was actually down a break,» he explained. «He was playing great late in the second and early in the third. I just kept fighting and stayed focused. His level dropped a bit—he looked like he might’ve been feeling unwell—but I just tried to stick to my game, and it paid off.»
At just 21 years old, Michelsen remains one of the youngest players in the draw and continues to impress with his maturity and consistency on tour.
«Yeah, I just turned 21, so I’m still kind of a baby out here,» he smiled. «This is almost my second full year on the main tour. It’s really cool to get this experience at a young age to travel the world, play these matches and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.»
When asked about his experience playing under the captainship of Andre Aggasi at the Laver Cup , Michelsen said « It was an incredible experience. Andre is unbelievable guy who's got a one of a kind tennis mind, the way he sees the game, it's just different than the rest of us. There's a couple little tips and pointers that he shared that I would like to keep to myself. But, he's helped and hopefully I can play again next year as it was one of the best tennis experiences of my life».
The sixth seeded Michelsen will next face the winner of match between German Jan Lennard Struff and eighth seeded Corentin Moutet of France for a spot in the Almaty Open final.
With his win today Michelsen made his third Semifinal of the season after Delray Beach and Mallorca also becoming the third American semi-finalist at the event after Tiafoe in 2020 and Korda in 2023.
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14.11.2025
KTF press-service
