Friendly Fire

We have an all-American match between two friends...

Michelsen started slowly against Musetti but managed to up his level and win it in three sets! His FH was very shaky at the start but looked a lot better later on, able to dictate play efficiently and rush Musetti, which was the key to victory, along with his constant net rushing (Musetti is very vulnerable to this on hardcourts). Tien played a very clutch match vs Opelka... he was the one struggling on serve the most and facing breakpoints throughout the match (4/4 saved) but managed to win the first tiebreak and then break Opelka on the first breakpoint. He was excellent at absorbing Opelka's tremendous pace and had some exceptional points (especially in the first TB) where he managed to turn points around from very defensive positions.

Michelsen and Tien are good friends and have faced each other twice. Michelsen dominated him in Houston on clay earlier this year, but that was Tien's first ATP match on clay. (Yes, Michelsen is not good on clay either, but at least he had some experience.) I don't want to take too much from that match since Tien was pretty much unable to play his game at all. At the end of 2024, they played in the Next Gen Finals, where Tien pulled out the win, taking advantage of an erratic Michelsen toward the end. As for the matchup, I would give the advantage to Michelsen. Tien plays with a lot of rhythm, but he lacks variety, which is what Michelsen struggles with (Moutet is his nightmare matchup). Additionally, I prefer Michelsen against lefties since I think his backhand is his more solid wing, and he has a great backhand down the line, which is always very effective against lefties. Michelsen also tends to come forward to the net a lot with success, which is beneficial against Tien, as it helps avoid lengthy baseline rallies where he excels. OK, so that's what's good for Michelsen... what about Tien? His level has been solid and consistent, and he already has two matches against Big Servers, so he is well-prepared for Michelsen's serve. Michelsen has been far more streaky, and I think some of his shot selections and decisions have been questionable, although they improved as the match progressed. This is something that Tien will be able to take advantage of, as long as he can extend the rallies enough! I also want to mention that Michelsen has been coughing a lot since he arrived, something to keep in mind...