Michelsen Triumphs on Clay, Ends Year-Long Drought in Houston
Basavareddy gears up for Tien showdown; Nakashima, Hijikata, and Etcheverry progress
April 01, 2026
Photo Credit: Alex Slitz/Getty Images
Alex Michelsen shines in Tuesday’s match in Houston.
By ATP Staff
After a frustrating 12 months, Alex Michelsen finally claimed victory on the clay courts, defeating Coleman Wong with a score of 6-4, 6-2 in the opening round of the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship.
The 21-year-old had not tasted success on clay since last year’s Houston event, where he made history as the youngest American to reach the quarter-finals since Taylor Fritz in 2018. His streak of five consecutive tour-level losses on this surface made this win a refreshing start to his 2026 clay campaign.
“It was a challenging match,” Michelsen reflected. “Starting on clay is always tough for everyone, so it felt great to get my feet wet again. I was a bit fortunate to clinch the first set and felt much stronger in the second.”
The opening set was filled with intensity as both players fought hard to save break points. Ultimately, Michelsen seized his opportunity in the 10th game, capitalizing on a dip in Wong’s performance to take the first set. From that point on, the American showed no signs of slowing down, wrapping up the match in just one hour and 25 minutes. The seventh seed dominated his serves, winning an impressive 77 percent (23/30) of his first-serve points and successfully warding off all three break points he encountered, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Michelsen has been finding his rhythm recently, having advanced to the fourth round at the ATP Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami. Now, he aims to maintain the momentum as he prepares to face either Alexei Popyrin or fellow American Patrick Kypson in the next round.
In other action on Tuesday, local favorite Nishesh Basavareddy battled through to defeat qualifier Liam Draxl 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, setting up an exciting all-American matchup with third seed Learner Tien. Tien currently leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 2-0, including a win in their last encounter at the semi-finals of the Next Gen ATP Finals last December.
Brandon Nakashima also advanced to the second round of the ATP 250 clay court event, taking down fellow American Martin Damm 7-6(0), 6-2 in a match lasting one hour and 31 minutes. Rinky Hijikata demonstrated solid performance as well, defeating home favorite Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 6-2, and is set to face the reigning champion, Frances Tiafoe.
Argentine star Tomas Martin Etcheverry overcame a rough start to vanquish compatriot Federico Agustin Gomez 1-6, 6-1, 6-4. Etcheverry’s victory, lasting one hour and 57 minutes, pushes his clay record this season to an impressive 9-1, featuring a tour-level title in Rio de Janeiro and a semi-final reach at the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires. As the sixth seed, he will meet Australian qualifier Alex Bolt in the next round.
