Jannik Sinner is hoping to build on his run to the quarter-finals at the Montreal Open.
It’s been a complicated summer for Jannik Sinner with the world number one’s remarkable start to the year disrupted by illness and injury.
Having clinched titles in Rotterdam, Miami, and Halle after his big win at the Australian Open in January, illness kept him out of Paris, with his two rivals Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic stealing the Olympic show.
Now feeling healthier, the Italian is back on the hard courts hoping to settle some recent doubts over his form with a good performance in the mid-west.
Having never got progressed to the quarter-finals here and after being dumped out in straight sets by Dusan Lajovic last year, Sinner has it all to do in Cincinnati.
After receiving a bye in the first round, a plucky new talent stands in his way, with 19-year-old American Alex Michelsen enjoying a super summer of tennis, reaching the final in Newport just under a month ago.
Why does Alex Michelsen think he can cause Jannik Sinner a problem?
Michelsen is certainly not short of confidence coming into his clash with the world number one.
At just 19, he has enjoyed a speedy start to his career having already reached two ATP tour finals.
After beating Tallon Griekspoor in three sets on Tuesday, he’s approaching this match with a sense of true liberation.
“It’ll be a lot of fun. I’ve got nothing to lose,” Michelsen told the ATP. “I’m going to go out there and try my best to swing free and have fun, and we’ll see what happens.”
Having never practised together, the American said: “Maybe that’ll help me a little bit. [He] has never seen my ball. I’m sure I know a lot more about him than he does about me. So I think maybe that’ll help me as well.
“I don’t think his game has changed that much. I think he’s gotten a lot stronger and a lot faster and a lot fitter,” Michelsen said. “But for me, I don’t think his game has changed that much. I think he’s changed some things. His serve got better, and maybe his forehand got a little better, but the way he plays stayed the same.”
Will it be easy for Jannik Sinner or can Alex Michelsen cause a shock?
Despite Sinner’s latest fitness update, he is still looking to be struggling with an ongoing hip injury – something that has frustrated his Wimbledon summer.
Michelsen on the other hand is playing with freedom and consistently beating opponents well above his career-high ranking of 53.
A truly creative young player, Michelsen may not have the weapons to beat Sinner on a normal day, however the Italian’s dodgy previous form at Cincinnati will also contribute to the American’s confidence.
With the support of the home crowd, Michelsen will try to race out the blocks, even if just to startle Sinner into having to find a level higher than he expected.
There is certainly a faint whiff that the Italian is not where he wants to be yet and with the upsets of Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul already having taken place, perhaps there will be no better time for another.
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