Alex Michelsen reflected sheer resilience in the QF match against Christopher Eubanks at the Winston-Salem Open. With this victory against his compatriot, the youngster has secured a spot in the second Tour level SF of the 2024 season. Michelsen will turn 20 on Sunday, and with this incredible run in this tournament, he may well enter the Top 30 in the upcoming days. He will face Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in the semis. Can he make the home crowd happy again?

Alex Michelsen vs Pablo Carreno Busta: Preview

Michelsen has appeared in two tour-level finals in his career so far and interestingly both of them came in Newport (2023,2024). Apart from making it to the finals at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, he has also reached four QFs this year. In his previous match, Michelsen defeated Eubanks by 7-5,6(6)-7,7-6(5) and his fans will be expecting a similar display of patience and resilience in the match against Busta as well.

Busta, on the other hand, won his first ATP title at Winston-Salem in 2016. This is, in fact, his third SF at this venue and his first since his emphatic triumph at the 2022 Canadian Open. This season, the Spaniard hasn’t played too many matches and his longest run has been reaching the R16 on two occasions. He has already won four matches in this tournament, and currently, it seems as if he has found back his winning touch.

Busta defeated America’s Learner Tien in the QF by 6-4,6-2 and now it’ll be interesting to see if he comes up with another comprehensive result against the other American.

Michelsen vs Busta: Head-to-Head

Well, both of these tennis stars haven’t yet faced each other in their careers. So, not much is there to separate these two in terms of their H2H stats. However, Pablo Carreno Busta is an experienced campaigner and has reached the SF of the US Open twice in his career (2017, 2020). This depicts he’s well capable of disrupting a few equations on American hard court events. But, can Alex Michelsen make use of home conditions?

Prediction: Busta to win in three sets

Keeping his nerves calm in front of a huge American crowd will be the key to success for Pablo Carreno Busta in this match. This 33-year-old has been playing tennis at the pro level since 2009, so he surely knows a way or two about how to bring out his A-game in these situations. Although he hasn’t played too many matches this season, Busta has a win-loss record of 7-5. On the other hand, Alex Michelsen has a win-loss record of just 22-23. So, looking at the venue and their previous results on this surface, the Spaniard looks slightly ahead here.

Busta is a solid player and he’s well known for his calmness on the pitch. His incredible mobility along with his ability to wear down his opponents with a safe style of play is what makes him a real special player on the Tour. The veteran also has a strong backhand that can put Michelsen into some real trouble in this match.

Alex Michelsen, on the other hand, brings more energy onto the court. His biggest weapon is his two-handed backhand and he’s often seen stepping forward during his serves to pounce on his opponents. This 19-year-old has some really big serves in his armory.

Michelsen is more than a tricky opponent and Busta wouldn’t want to allow him to get a grip on the match. The one with calm nerves and the ability to convert half-chances into winning points will win this match. But given his experience and his calm demeanor, Busta has a slight edge going into this contest.