The all-American Round 1 Tennys Sandgren vs Alex Michelsen clash gives an idea of how local-heavy the field at the 2024 Dallas Open is. A veteran, past his heydays, will face off against an upcoming teenager in a battle of players in contrasting stages of their careers.
The duo have never played each other before on the ATP Tour, and are split 1-1 on the Challenger circuit. Sandgren, who peaked at World No.41 in 2019 and is now World No.281, primarily competes in the Challenger circuit nowadays. He has featured in five Challenger tournaments in 2024, reaching the quarterfinals in his latest attempt in Cleveland.
Not counting his two qualifying-round wins, he comes into the Dallas Open with a 6-5 W/L record. The first-round match in the ATP 250 tournament main draw will be his first ATP Tour appearance this year.
Michelsen, on the other hand, made his ATP debut only in June 2023. Rising to World No.75 after a good debut season in 2023, the 19-year-old began his 2024 season with the Brisbane International. He defeated former top 10 player Diego Schwartzman in the qualifiers but lost his first main draw fixture. He met with a similar fate at the ASB Classic. Michelsen reached the third round at the 2024 Australian Open, losing to Alexander Zverev. He enters the Dallas Open with a 2-3 main draw record. This climbs to 6-3 if the qualifying rounds of the previous tournaments are considered.
Sandgren, 32, has hit some form, coming off two qualifying wins but those could also fatigue him. Michelsen, meanwhile, will be more confident following his Australian Open campaign. The veteran American has simply not faced enough high-ranked players, with only one win this year against a top-200 opposition.
The gulf is clearly a lot to cover for Sandgren, who could, however, cause trouble since he has a bit of momentum behind him. The SportsRush predicts Alex Michelsen to bag the win. BetMGM Sportsbook backs him with odds of 1.40 to Sandgren’s 2.90.
The Tennys Sandgren vs Alex Michelsen tie is scheduled for Tuesday, February 6, at noon local time (1:00 pm ET). In the United States, Tennis Channel will stream the match. Weather will be partly cloudy with temperatures around 15°C.
Tennys Sandgren vs Alex Michelsen – Career stats
Alex Michelsen reached the final of the ATP 250 Hall of Fame Open only a month after his ATP debut, shooting up the rankings. Just months after turning pro, the 19-year-old qualified for the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals. While he went out in the round-robin stage, he gave a good account of himself. He beat #32 seed Jiri Lehecka en route to his third-round finish at the 2024 Australian Open, his second Grand Slam appearance.
As a result, he achieved a career-high World No.73 rank. Overall, in his brief career, Michelsen has played only 20 ATP main draw fixtures, with a 9-11 record. He has earned $631,793 in total career prize money, also accounting for doubles.
Sandgren, meanwhile, is a two-time quarter-finalist at the Australian Open, reaching the stage in 2018 and 2020. He, though, has not played in the main draw of a Grand Slam since the 2021 US Open. He was a top 70 regular from 2018 to 2020, peaking at World No.41 in early 2019. Winning the 2019 ASB Classic title remains his biggest ATP achievement. He has minted $3,564,868 so far in his career with a 47-75 record.
