WATCH: Bizarre scenes as injured Alex Michelsen tries his hands at unique pickleball serve in Moselle Open SF
Alex Michelsen had to resort to out-of-the-box tactics during his semifinal contest at the 2024 Moselle Open after suffering an injury. The American was up against home favorite Benjamin Bonzi in the Metz semifinal on November 8.
Michelsen made a confident start to the contest by breaking Bonzi in the fifth game of the first set to take the one-set advantage. Unfortunately, the young American suffered an abdominal injury during the second set and had to call for a medical timeout. Even though he continued to play, Michelsen's level dipped significantly, and he lost six games on the trot, allowing Bonzi to equalize the scoreline.
The 20-year-old's struggles to serve continued in the third set. In the fourth game, he busted out a side-swipe serve, which is usually associated with pickleball. Bonzi managed to return the unusual serve and Michelsen hit his forehand into the net. You can watch a clip of Michelsen's unique serve below:
Bonzi went on to break thrice in the third set but also suffered a drop in his level. Incredibly, Michelsen was able to get two of the breaks back but could not reserve the deficit and, in the end, handed Bonzi a 4-6, 6-0, 7-5 win. With his victory, the Frenchman qualified for his first tour-level final in over a year.
Before Moselle, Benjamin Bonzi had lost just one of his last fifteen matches. He had won two Challenger-level titles on the trot and lost in the final of the third one. At the 2024 Moselle Open, he entered the main draw as a qualifier and defeated Roberto Bautista Agut, Casper Ruud, Quentin Halys, and Alex Michelsen en route to the final, where he will face Cameron Norrie.
Alex Michelsen in contention for Next Gen ATP Finals 2024
Alex Michelsen's 2024 season has not ended yet, as he is currently in contention to compete at the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals. The American holds the second spot in the race to the Next Gen ATP Finals list and could participate in the tournament, dedicated to the brightest young star in men's tennis, for the second time in his career after 2023. This year's edition will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from December 18 to 22.
Alex Michelsen was seeded third at the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals and bowed out of the tournament in the group stage. The 20-year-old will qualify for this year's event on the back of two ATP Tour-level finals (Hall of Fame Tennis Championships and Winston-Salem). As a result, he broke into the top 50 of the ATP ranking for the first time in his career, currently holding the World No. 44 position.
World No. 20 Arthur Fils holds the top spot in the race to the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals list after winning two ATP 500 titles (Hamburg and Tokyo). The list includes Jakub Mensik, Juncheng Shang, Luca Van Assche, Learner Tien, Joao Fonseca, and Martin Landaluce.