In the latest men’s tennis rankings there are five Americans in the top 20 for the first time since 1996. There are also plenty of Americans making waves at the Winston-Salem Open.
Wild card Chris Eubanks has found his fire this week, needing less than an hour to defeat the 14 seed and Frenchman Hugo Gaston.
“It feels great,” an emphatic Eubanks said. “Especially considering how long much of a roller coaster ride my first-round match was. To come out and get a win like that in which I played well from beginning to end was really important.”
He faces friend and 17 seed Roman Saffiulin in the next round.
“I’m excited about my match tomorrow. Roman and I are good friends, and I love seeing him play so well. We just played last week, and he got the best of me, so I’m happy for the opportunity to get a second chance,” he added.
Alex Michelsen thrilled the night-time crowd at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex on Tuesday night with a hard-earned 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over Marton Fucsovics.
Michelsen’s win means four American players are in the third-round heading into Wednesday’s play.
Learner Tien, a qualifier into the tournament, upset ninth-seeded Fabian Marozsan 6-2, 6-7 (1), 7-6 (2). Tien’s upset went along with the theme of the day as nine seeded players all dropped matches on Tuesday.
“I’m going to try my best to win it,” Michelsen said after his match on Tuesday about chasing his first ATP title. “I’ve had a couple of tough losses in finals in Newport the last couple of years,, but if I could get to the finals again, especially here in the states, it would make me happy.”
Michelsen took the long road here after playing doubles in Cincinnati on Monday, then getting to Winston-Salem in time to play on Tuesday.
“I thought about pulling out (of Winston-Salem) for about two seconds then decided to play,” he said. “I’m 19 for a couple of more days, and my body will recover so I’m not worried about it too much.”
Michelsen is the second-highest seeded player left in the field. Lorenzo Sonego, who is seeded 10th, still remains, and he’s advanced to the quarterfinals after Juncheng Shang withdrew due to a lower back injury.
Michelsen, who is ranked No. 52, will turn 20-years-old on Sunday.
Even though he’s only 19 his attitude and maturity have helped him grow in the short time he’s been a professional.
“I used to be crazy devasted when I lost when I was younger,” he said. “I thought every match meant so much but every day you can only go out there and try your best and compete as hard as you can. Either way, that’s how I’ve approached it this year.”
