Alex Michelsen wins Almaty debut to end losing skid, reveals coaching trial with Kristof Vliegen

ALMATY—Alex Michelsen didn’t arrive to Kazakhstan for this week’s Almaty Open until Monday, though he had his reasons. For the American reached his second career ATP Masters 1000 doubles final in Shanghai, ultimately finishing runner-up with Sweden’s Andre Goransson.

“It’s good matches, it's good money and it's good pressure points as well,” he tells TENNIS.com.

“It's obviously not anywhere near the same as singles, but you get the serve reps, the return reps, you get the reps at the net, and I think that's really beneficial to my game.”

Getting himself back into a match day rhythm paid off two days later. On Wednesday, Michelsen made a winning debut inside the Almaty Arena, defeating local hopeful Beibit Zhukayev, 6-2, 6-3, to snap a five-match losing streak in singles, dating back to the Cincinnati Open. (Watch the full replay here.)

“Definitely a tough go lately in singles, so super happy to end that little streak I was on. The altitude here, I feel like it's helpful for my game. Shots are penetrating a little more,” assesses Michelsen. “Beibit's got a massive serve, so I knew going in that he was gonna hold serve well. I think he might have hurt himself. I saw he had a lot of tape and his back was taped up.

“I played super well at the baseline for the first time in a long time. A lot of positives going forward.”

The world No. 36 evened his career indoor record to 10-10. When asked, Michelsen agrees it's a playing environment he should be generating more success from given his game. “I’ve definitely underachieved indoors,” he states before expressing that he “absolutely loves” playing under a roof.

Against Zhukayev, his intent to finish at the net where possible was clear throughout their encounter.

“The balls die like they do everywhere nowadays, but when they're not super dead, I think it's a little easier to be offensive. Especially in the altitude, the balls are flying a little more,” he says. “That's one of the key components of my game and I can be on my front foot looking to come forward.”

I played super well at the baseline for the first time in a long time. A lot of positives going forward. Alex Michelsen

After his victory, the on-court emcee presented the 21-year-old with a Kazakh coin for his collection. Michelsen hasn’t had much time to spare for sightseeing in the city hosting his latest tour stop. Beyond the quick turnaround from China, the two-person team working with the Aliso Viejo, Calif. native this week includes a familiar face and a new addition whose career-high ranking of No. 30 is equal to Michelsen’s.

“I'm here with Kristof Vliegen, new coach. As of now we're doing a little trial period,” he reveals. “So let's see how it goes. And then I'm with my trainer Byron (Manning), I've been with him for a couple of years.”

A win Thursday over Aleksandar Vukic would send Michelsen through to his seventh tour-level quarterfinal of the year. The sixth seed is bidding to become the ninth first-time winner on the ATP Tour this season.

“I definitely want to get a title. I was one point away last year in the Newport final, so that's one of the goals moving forward for sure,” wraps up Michelsen.