Alex Michelsen’s star is on the rise at the Dallas Open
From Chinese Taipei to Frisco, Texas, the 20-year-old has a tight turnaround following a Davis Cup debut that produced "the best tennis week on tour."
FRISCO, Texas—Alex Michelsen may be fighting off jet lag, but his long journey to a well-known DFW suburb was worth the rapid turnaround for this week’s Dallas Open.
Last weekend, the 20-year-old made a winning Davis Cup debut for captain Bob Bryan in helping the U.S. sweep Chinese Taipei 4-0. The experience was everything Michelsen could have hoped for alongside fellow Americans Marcos Giron, Mackenzie McDonald, Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek.
“It's the best tennis week on tour I've had,” he tells TENNIS.com. “Getting to be with the boys every single day, playing cards, practicing and we're all together the whole day, it was fantastic.
“I did my part winning my match and that was an absolute blast. There's nothing more meaningful in tennis than playing for your country.”
The Aliso Viejo, Calif. native was one of the Australian Open’s breakout performers after scoring Top 20 wins over Stefanos Tsitsipas and Karen Khachanov to reach the round of 16 at a major for the first time. The extended stay at Melbourne Park put Michelsen in an interesting spot, with travel to Taipei City an essential logistic to consider.
“I stayed in the time zone, which is good. I couldn't have gone back to L.A. as it would only been for like four days,” he said. “My trainer is from Melbourne, so I stayed down there.”
Michelsen doesn’t have the luxury of proximity—or time—this week, with his first-round match against Cameron Norrie scheduled second on Tuesday (Giron plays in the night session against Casper Ruud). The world No. 36 owns up to being naïve during his first full season at tour level when it came to taking care of his body.
“I did not do as good of a job as I wanted to last year. I just figured, ‘ah I'm 19, I can just go and just do whatever,’” Michelsen reflects. “Not stretch, not go see the physio or get a massage. This year I'm definitely gonna have to do a lot more of that. Now that I’m aware, I feel like I can better prepare my body after this long flights and long trips.
Seeded seventh, Michelsen is one of 14 Americans in the main draw of the upgraded ATP 500 event hosted by Ford Center at The Star. (Five of the eight seeds are U.S. players.) He’s come close to triumphing on home soil before, with a pair of runner-up finishes in Newport and another at Winston-Salem.
“I always want to play well in the States. We're going to have a good swing in North America for the next two months,” he believes. “Here, Delray (Beach), Indian Wells, Miami, looking to play really well at those tournaments.”
Norrie, a former three-time All-American at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, will mark the first left-hander Michelsen has faced in 2025. He’s 4-4 so far in his career against lefties.