By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Monday, January 20, 2025
Photo credit: Darrian Traynor/Getty
Home hero Alex de Minaur pulled the plug on Alex Michelsen’s electric Australian Open run.
The peedy de Minaur raced through eight straight games sparking a 6-0, 7-6(5), 6-3 thrashing of the 20-year-old Michelsen to reach his first Australian Open quarterfinal.
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World No. 8 de Minaur is just the third Aussie man in the last 20 years to reach the last eight in Melbourne joining his Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt (2005) and Nick Kyrgios (2015) in achieving the feat.
The 25-year-old de Minaur advanced to his fourth straight major quarterfinal becoming the eighth Australian man in the Open Era to reach quarterfinals at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
Playing at night for the first time in this AO, Michelsen said he struggled adapting to slower conditions. Michelsen attributed his eight-game slide and static movement more to court conditions rather than nerves.
“I played during the day when it was hot every single time, and then played tonight, a little colder. I felt like the ball was coming at me a lot slower,” Michelsen told the media in Melbourne. “I wasn’t getting my feet set properly. I think that was a big part of it.
“I was definitely a little nervous, but that wasn’t really why I lost eight games in a row. I just couldn’t find my feet. Obviously playing a guy like Alex, who is not going to give you anything for free, that’s always in the back of your head when the balls fluff up quickly, you can’t hit a winner. I requested day session. Obviously not gonna get it.”
While Michelsen, who dropped just five games defeating de Minaur in their lone prior hard-court clash on a livelier Los Cabos court last season, was clearly disappointed by this defeat he also takes pride in his best Grand Slam run.
At the tender age of 20, a dynamic Michelsen knocked off former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in his opener before taking down 2023 AO semifinalist Karen Khachanov in the third round.
The difference in the shellacking de Minaur dispensed: the man nicknamed Demon covers the court quicker than those two big hitters and was more precise. De Minaur committed 25 unforced errors, which is 25 fewer than Michelsen. De Minaur dominated despite serving an unsightly 42 percent.
“I think Alex makes a lot more balls than all three of the guys that I played,” Michelsen said. “He doesn’t miss a ball, doesn’t give me anything for free. I think his serve is weaker, and I think that’s about it.
“I mean, he’s way faster than all of them, moves better. His backhand is absolute money. Doesn’t miss it. He was hitting his backhand line super well today.
“I wasn’t expecting that, honestly. But I knew he wasn’t going to hang with me on that backhand rally, because everybody knows my forehand is weaker. I’m going to change that.”
It’s been a transformative tournament for the 20-year-old Michelsen, who joined his 19-year-old training partner and friend Learner Tien in creating fantastic fourth-round runs Down Under.
While Michelsen did not discuss his ranking goal for the rest of this season—clearly he will earn seeded status at Slams if he continues playing this level and fortifies his weaker forehand wing—he sees Melbourne as a springboard to future success.
“I definitely have goals that I don’t want to say in a press conference, but I definitely do have goals,” Michelsen said. “I don’t put too much pressure on myself in terms of ranking.
“I’m 20 years old. 36th in the world. I know that that’s very good, and I’m very happy with that right now.”
