Stefanos Tsitsipas’s struggles continue with a second round straight-sets loss to Alex Michelsen 7-7, 7-5 at the Halle Open.
The opening set saw Michelsen hold serve comfortably while the Greek struggled with consistency, particularly on his first serve.
Tsitsipas’s troubles culminated in the tiebreak, where Michelsen played with aggression and composure to secure the mini-break and take the set.
The 26-year-old’s difficulties continued into the second set, dropping serve in the opening game amid a string of unforced errors.
With a first-serve percentage of just 54 per cent, he failed to adapt tactically on his second serve—something Michelsen read with ease as he edged closer to victory.
Although Tsitsipas saved a match point at 5-3 and managed to break back, he immediately surrendered his serve in the following game.
The American, briefly rattled, nearly allowed the match to slip into a tiebreak, but Tsitsipas again lacked assertiveness at a crucial moment. Michelsen capitalised, closing out the match and sealing the win.
