Alex Michelsen seemed to be in control of the Moselle Open 2024 semifinal clash against Benjamin Bonzi before sustaining an abdominal injury. It caused a massive dip in his performance and even limited his movements. As a result, the American youngster pulled off a few unconventional serves, one of which has stunned the tennis world.
Michelsen was in immense pain, as evidenced by his 0-6 second set loss. He was also unable to run around the court to chase the ball. Hence, jumping for serves was out of the question for the 20-year-old.
This led to Michelsen opting for a mix-and-match of simple and innovative serves. On most occasions, especially during the third set, the Californian used the underarm serve. But he left every viewer in the Arenes de Metz and across the globe gasping with a never-seen-before side-swipe pickleball-style serve.
Have you ever seen a serve like this
Have a look at Alex Michelsen’s genre-bending side swipe serve!@MoselleOpen pic.twitter.com/3RZZSoKloq
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 8, 2024
Sadly, Michelsen wasn’t able to finish the highlight rally by winning the point. But he was able to hold his serve by winning the subsequent point.
Fans also admired the youngster’s competitiveness, staying on the court rather than retiring after suffering the embarrassing bagel in the second set. Despite Michelsen’s heroic act, the hometown hero clinched a 4-6, 6-0, 7-5 win, booking a spot in the second ATP finals of his career.
Bonzi is set to face Cameron Norrie in the finals
Benjamin Bonzi is currently in the best form of his life. He reached the final of the ATP 250 event as a qualifier and by defeating some of the biggest names – Roberto Bautista Agut and Casper Ruud – in the tournament.
The 28-year-old is coming off a successful run at the Challenger level – winning in Roanne, St. Brieuc, and reaching the finals in Brest – right before the ongoing tournament in Metz.
As of now, he’s won 20 out of his past 21 matches, making him a heavy favorite to defeat Cameron Norrie on Sunday at 10:30 AM EST. Potentially winning his first ATP title will also have huge implications on the ATP rankings, moving him to the 77th spot after 15 months.
