Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Alex Michelsen vs Kei Nishikori: ATP Montreal – First round

The American Alex Michelsen will take on Kei Nishikori in the opening round of ATP Montreal.

Alex Michelsen Profile

Alex Michelsen has the highest ranking of his career being No. 55 in the world. The 19-year-old is 25-24 for the season and 13-8 on hard.

Michelsen is coming off a 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 loss to Flavio Cobolli in the quarterfinals in Washington. The week before, he made it to the finals in Newport but failed to Marcos Giron.

Besides that, his significant results this season include the quarterfinals in Los Cabos, Geneva and Mallorca.

This is Michelsen’s first appearance in Montreal.

Kei Nishikori Profile

Former world No. 4 Kei Nishikori is currently 576^th in the ATP rankings. The Japanese is 1-4 for the season and 0-1 on hard.

His only win in 2024 came in the opening round of the French Open when he defeated Gabriel Diallo in five sets. In his last match, Nishikori lost 6-1, 6-4 to Jack Draper in the first round of the Olympics.

Nishikori’s best result in Montreal was the semifinal in 2015.

Head-to-Head

• Michelsen vs Nishikori 7-6, 3-6, 6-1 (2023 Chicago Challenger, quarterfinal)

Prediction and Conclusion

In the opening round in Montreal, two players at completely different points in their careers will go against each other. Michelsen is still a teenager who is climbing the standings, while Nishikori is coming back from injury and is only a shadow of the player he once was. Nishikori has played only five matches this year, while Michelsen has been very active, as expected for a 19-year-old. This will be a one-way match, with Michelsen winning in straight sets.