By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
That was quick. The first major upset in the ongoing Australian Open happened in the first round.
On January 13, 2025, world no. 11 ranked male tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas succumbed to a first-round loss at the hands of American challenger Alex Michelsen- 7.5, 6.3, 2.6, 6.4- becoming the first Top 15 player to be eliminated in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.
Favored to win the matchup, Tsitsipas was stunned by how Michelsen played him on the hard court as he stuck to his game plan of forcing the Greek netter to come inside the net area.
Tsitsipas is not known for his efficient net game, and the American took advantage by firing his first receive with a drop shot that landed in the opposition’s no-man’s land area.
The next sequence saw Michelsen target Tsitsipas in the net with vicious forehands followed by a sweet lob shot that forced the higher-ranked player to backpedal quickly to the baseline.
That strategy worked to perfection for Michelsen as he set the tone with three important points coming from that sequence that paved the way for his rolling start.
Although Tsitsipas showed some signs of life when he took the third set, Michelsen buckled to work early in the fourth and final frame to advance to the second round of the Australian Open.
Aside from his clever strategy, Michelsen’s defense was also on-point as he frustrated Tsitsipas in their last several rally exchanges.
Just when Tsitsipas thought that he already scored the ball, Michelsen came back with stellar reflexes to save the possession and prolong the exchanges longer.
Unfortunately for Tsitsipas, his next shots were thrown with frustration and were either out or below the net, rewarding Michelsen with the point.
“I just tried to stay super composed out there today, I knew it was going to be a battle in the end. I came in with the proper mindset and I executed the game plan,” Michelsen said after the massive upset win.
