In a thrilling 64-minute Winston-Salem Open final, Lorenzo Sonego defeated American player Alex Michelsen 6-0, 6-3 to win his first title in nearly two years.
Sonego, supported by his fierce forehand and useful serve, put on one of his best matches of the year, while Michelsen performed well below the level that saw him break into the PIF ATP Live Rankings’ Top 50 for the first time this week.
The 2024 ATP Winston-Salem saw moments of extreme tension when Alex Michelsen threw a ball angrily and unintentionally struck a spectator. The match was able to proceed after the fan assured the chair umpire that she was okay.
The American player was uncertain for a few minutes whether the final against Lorenzo Sonego had ended at that point. Those who don’t understand why this didn’t result in an instant disqualification start to argue.
Should Michelsen have been defaulted after rifling a ball at a spectator in the stands? 🤔⁰⁰The #TCLive crew thinks so ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/rZlAmcVuD9
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) August 24, 2024
Alex Michelsen in 2024
Now the world no.52 (career-high), the American played his last match on the 24th of August when he lost to world no.58 Lorenzo Sonego 6-0 6-3 in the final in Winston-Salem (draw).
This season the American has achieved a 32-27 win-loss record. Alex Michelsen’s best result of the current season was getting to the final in Newport and Salem.
Alex Michelsen will play the world no.343 Eliot Spizzirri in the 1st round. They have never competed against each other until now in top tournaments.
Alex got to the final in Newport (Infosys Hall of Fame Open) and in Salem (Winston).
He is also scheduled to play at the U.S. Open (U.S. Open). The main draw will start on the 26th of August.
Lorenzo Sonego in 2024
Now the world no.58, Sonego played his last match on the 24th of August when he defeated world no.52 Alex Michelsen 6-0 6-3 in the final in Winston-Salem to win his 4th career title.
Currently, during this season Lorenzo achieved a composed 23-25 record. This year, the Italian won 1 tournament in Winston-Salem.
Lorenzo Sonego will play the world no.14 Tommy Paul in the 1st round. Their head to head is 2-1 for Paul.
The Italian clinched 1 title in 2024 in Winston-Salem.
Sonego won 4 titles in his career: 1 on hard courts, 1 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
He is also scheduled to play at the U.S. Open (U.S. Open) on the 26th of August and Chengdu (Chengdu Open) on the 16th of September.
Alex Michelsen and Lorenzo Sonego fought against each other just twice. Their actual head to head record is 2-0 for Sonego. Previously, the last time they competed against each other, Lorenzo Sonego won 6-0 6-3 in the final in Salem (Winston) on the 24th of August 2024.
