On Monday, close friends Learner Tien and Alex Michelsen were foes – at least for 71 minutes – in Houston. It was the first time that they were locking horns in an ATP match at the senior level, and Michelsen got his revenge. Remember how the latter ousted his bestie in last season’s Next Gen ATP Finals, during the SF round, in Jeddah? Well, this time it was Michelsen’s turn to give it back and he did give it back to his compatriot, toppling him in straight sets. But apart from the on-court action, the two also attracted the crowd’s attention with their looks. Their outfits actually made it complicated for fans to figure out who was who. Blame an unplanned twinning idea!
World No.69 Tien and his tennis bestie, World No.34 Michelsen, met in the first round of the ATP 250 event Fayez Sarofim & Co. US Men’s Clay Court Championship. And while the latter was happy to avenge his loss from the ATP Next Gen finals, he was also stunned by Tien’s appearance. Why so?
Well, they happened to wear identical outfits. A black t-shirt, combined with a cap and shorts in neon green color. And, they looked almost indistinguishable. During a post-match on-court interview, Michelsen spilled the beans on this unplanned twinning moment. He revealed, “Actually, it was in the locker room. He was like, ‘Bro, what are you wearing?’ Because I just had my shorts. He’s like, ‘Bro, do you have the black shirt?’ I was like, ‘Yeah’. And he’s like, ‘Dude, we’re wearing the same outfit.’” Continuing further, the American added, “It felt like we were on a cute little date. We were in matching outfits. It was great.”
Coming back to the match itself, it was tough for Michelsen to begin with. He might not have played Tien at the senior level before, but having competed against him several times at the junior level, he knew the match wasn’t going to be straightforward. However, he ended up putting on an absolute clinic. The 20-year-old later reflected on his performance in a candid chat.
Alex Michelsen explained how he succeeded in edging out his friend Learner Tien in Houston
It was tricky for Alex Michelsen, given the fact that Learner Tien knew his game in and out – and vice-versa. “I needed to do pretty much everything well. He knows me like the back of his hand. I know him like the back of my hand,” he admitted. “I had to serve really well, and I feel like I’ve had some really good clay-court prep heading into this tournament, so I feel like that helped me a lot today. It was one of those days where I was playing really well, so super happy with that.”
Interestingly, it was Michelsen’s second time playing on the clay court in the same event after making his debut more than a year ago. Given that Tien lacked the prior experience of playing in Houston, Michelsen used this aspect to his advantage. “I remember like it was yesterday, losing my first match here last year. So I know what he’s feeling,” he said.
Michelsen won 87 percent of his first-serve points against Tien. “It’s really tough to come out here and play on clay, especially being from California. There are zero clay courts anywhere. So it was tough for him, but yeah, I played really well.”
Well, the result of the match might have gone Michelsen’s way, but the outfits of the two players will surely keep fans guessing even during replays – who was who?
The post Houston Face-Off Unexpectedly Turns Into a ‘Cute Little Date’ for Besties Alex Michelsen and Learner Tien appeared first on EssentiallySports.