Alex Michelsen shocks Australian Open by knocking out Stefanos Tsitsipas in opening round

Stefanos Tsitsipas (No. 11) faced a surprising first-round exit against Alex Michelsen (No. 41). The American had previously defeated Tsitsipas in their only prior meeting at the Tokyo Open. Despite the Greek being a slight favourite on one of his preferred stages, Michelsen delivered an impressive performance.

The American landed 69% of his first serves and won 69% of those points, with a total of 46 winners and 40 unforced errors. Michelsen secured a two-set lead in less than an hour and 20 minutes. Although Tsitsipas mounted a response in the third set, it wasn't enough to spark a comeback, with Michelsen ultimately winning 7-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

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This marks Tsitsipas' first first-round exit in Melbourne since 2018. The Greek, who had reached the semi-finals three times and was a finalist in 2023, was defending 200 points from his fourth-round appearance in 2024.

His early departure now distances him from re-entering the top-10, where he was just 25 points away from reclaiming a spot among the elite. The former world No. 3 has now suffered consecutive first-round eliminations at Grand Slam tournaments following a disappointing showing at the US Open.

Michelsen will face either local wildcard James McCabe (No. 258) or qualifier Martin Landaluce (No. 143) in the second round.

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