Time to finish strong?

Can the much-improved Michelsen bother Alcaraz at all?

We saw a great Michelsen in the summer, with a lot of wins. At the same time, looking back, a lot of his wins were against players he was supposed to beat, so I want to keep that in mind. Still, clearly his level has increased, no doubt about it. More than anything, I find that he has become a lot more consistent, while also increasing his aggression. In the past, he's had some issues with spraying forehand errors while trying to do too much! His backhand has always been extremely solid. However, with his forehand now being a reliable weapon, combined with a strong serve/return as well as a net game, it's pretty easy to see that he is a very well-rounded player. I've mentioned it a thousand times, but he also plays with good variety, playing some unexpected shots and not providing a lot of rhythm. However, his main issue is, similar to Fritz, his movement. Similar to Fritz, he can still defend quite well, in a scrappy way. But against elite players who move really well, it can get exposed and really put him behind...

Alcaraz might have gone out in the quarterfinals at the USO, but I would still say it was a great comeback for him. I will attribute his loss to Shelton more to match fitness more than anything else. In the previous matches, he looked absolutely untouchable! There are no Grand Slams left, but I do have a feeling that the Spaniard could lock in (of course while still enjoying it and having fun) for the rest of the season. He's now third in the world... I'm sure there is a big part of him that wants to get back on top, especially since the Italian is sidelined due to injury. A good way to start that process would be to defend his points here in Tokyo, since he won last year.

I don't love the matchup for Michelsen. While I do think Alex can hang around in cat-and-mouse points a lot better than someone like Fritz (also not the best mover), it still feels like there are not a lot of advantages for him here. His best chance would be to take advantage of Alcaraz's dips if he were to have some...