Alex de Minaur’s Australian Open fourth-round opponent Alex Michelsen has a hip injury he received a medical timeout for in his previous match.
The 20-year-old American won the first set against Karen Khachanov but went off court for treatment while down 3-0 in the second set.
Prior to exiting John Cain Arena for medical attention, Michelsen was heard to say to the doctor that the injury had ‘popped’ and felt ‘pretty tight’.
Medical time out for Alex Michelsen vs Karen Khachanov.
Off-court MTO.
Looks like an issue with Michelsen right hip area, he said it popped and it feels pretty tight.
Michelsen to serve next at 0-3 down in set 2. pic.twitter.com/uzRMOqrUMu
— edgeAI (@edgeAIapp) January 18, 2025
However, the world no.42 returned to blitz Khachanov in straight sets 6-3 7-6(5) 6-2 in two hours, 10 minutes.
In a sport with the smallest edges, De Minaur showed how important a physical advantage is during his four-set win over Francisco Cerundolo.
After losing the first set against the Argentine claycourter, the Aussie eighth seed was two points away from losing the second set at 5-6 before rallying in the tiebreaker.
Despite being below his best and struggling against Cerundolo’s powerful forehand, De Minaur powered away in the third and fourth sets with the 31st seed struggling physically to match the Australian.
With Michelsen carrying a minor niggle at best, De Minaur spoke of how good his body felt after being injured for the second half of 2024.
“Today, day session, Aussie heat, born and raised in it, I’m ready to go whether it was three sets, four sets or five sets,” De Minaur said after his win against Cerundolo.
“I was feeling good physically. I knew the work I put in. That gave me the confidence to go out there and still compete till the end.”
De Minaur has played nine five-set matches in his career, winning three of them, while Michelsen has lost the only match he has ever played to go that distance.
If Michelsen is to challenge De Minaur, it’s very unlikely he will do it over three sets, meaning the American could have to win the first five-set match of his career.
De Minaur will take on Michelsen on Monday, January 20 at a court and time that will be determined on Sunday evening – but will most likely be Rod Laver Arena.
