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Match Details
Fixture: (9) Denis Shapovalov vs Alex Michelsen
Date: February 26, 2025
Tournament: Mexican Open 2025
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Arena GNP Seguros, Acapulco, Mexico
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $2,763,440
Live Telecast: US - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Denis Shapovalov vs Alex Michelsen preview
Former top 10 player Denis Shapovalov will take on Alex Michelsen in the second round of the Mexican Open 2025.
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Shapovalov commenced his run in Acapulco against Nishesh Basavareddy. The former landed the first blow in the opening set to go 3-1 up but the latter broke back immediately to get back on serve. The American then snagged another break of serve in the ninth game to go 5-4 up and proceeded to serve for the set.
Shapovalov dug deep as he fended off a set point and broke back to level the proceedings, and also nabbed the next two games to take the set. He carried this momentum into the next set and raced to a quick 3-0 lead in it. He broke Basavareddy's serve one last time in the final game of the match to score a 7-5, 6-2 win.
Michelsen was drawn against Bu Yunchaokete in the first round here. The latter was cruising along smoothly in the first set and served for a 5-1 lead but got broken. However, he got back on track with another break of serve and closed out the set in the following game to take a one-set lead.
Michelsen rallied from a breakdown twice in the second set and stopped his opponent from serving out the match to force a tie-break, in which he came out on top. He squandered a 5-2 lead in the third set as Bu fought back to force a tie-break, though he fell shy of a comeback. The American edged past his opponent in the tie-break for a 2-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) victory.
Denis Shapovalov vs Alex Michelsen head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Denis Shapovalov vs Alex Michelsen odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Denis Shapovalov vs Alex Michelsen prediction
Once he had the tricky first set in the bag, Shapovalov didn't look back as he countered Basavareddy's tactics with ease to emerge victorious. He won 74 percent of points on the back of his first serve and won 81 per cent of his second serve points. He captured the Dallas Open title prior to his arrival here and has now extended his winning streak to six matches.
Michelsen staged an impressive comeback to beat Bu, his third win over him in the past six months. However, he'll need to step up his game if he intends to beat Shapovalov. The American dropped his serve seven times in his opener, and broke his opponent's serve on five occasions.
Having gotten the better of one rising young American, Shapovalov will now aim to repeat the feat with a win over Michelsen. Given the Canadian's current form, he will be expected to one-up his younger rival.
Pick: Denis Shapovalov to win in straight sets.
