Lorenzo Sonego vs Alex Michelsen Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Winston-Salem Open

Prediction published on 24/08/2024, 04:45  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 24/08/2024 at 05:46 in Tennis Predictions

Tenth seed Lorenzo Sonego faces 11th-seeded Alex Michelsen in the final of the Winston Salem Open. Both players have very special reasons to want to win this hard court tournament. Here's our match prediction.

World number 58 Sonego is up to 52nd in the live rankings and will move up four places if winning this final. Last week saw him lose in the Cincinnati qualifying rounds and he hadn't won two consecutive hard court matches all year.

His form has improved this week with wins over Dominic Stricker, 15th seed Pavel Kotov and in his semi-final David Goffin with one match won via a walkover. He's yet to lose a set in this tournament.

If he can beat Michelsen, it'll be his first outdoor hard court title. That'll make him only the 11th active player on the tour to have won titles on indoor hard, outdoor hard, clay and grass surfaces.

Alex Michelsen turns 20 on Sunday, so for the last time we can call him an American teenager and he's in his third ATP Tour final but the first on hard courts. Both of his grass court finals ended in defeat.

He is in great form at present and  recently reached the last eight in Washington. The American has a 21-11 record on hard courts this year and now a career-high 48th in the rankings. Winning this title will take him to 41st and 39th in the ATP Live Race.

This week he has beaten Marton Fucsovics, Zizou Bergs, Christopher Eubanks (in three sets) and then in the last four, Pablo Carreno Busta. Michelsen led Busta 7-6 2-1 in his semi-final when the Spaniard retired.

One previous match against Sonego was lost but that was on clay. We tip Michelsen to become the first American to win this title since 2012.