Alex Michelsen vs Luca Van Assche Prediction Next Gen Finals Tennis Picks 12/19/24

Alex Michelsen had to wait 12 months to break his duck at the Next Gen ATP Finals and did so, picking up his first match win at this tournament on Wednesday.

Michelsen got the better of countryman Nishesh Basavareddy in four sets in a very close match that could have easily gone to a fifth set.

Despite making a slow start in the first set which he lost 2-4, Michelsen pinched a couple of tie-break sets to turn the match on its head.

And after dropping his serve to love early in the fourth set, he won three straight games to clinch the win. He now puts himself in a very good position to qualify for the semifinals. He will next face a player who defeated him in the group stage last year in Luca Van Assche.

Luca Van Assche Preview

Luca Van Assche scored a very important win on day one of the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals. He beat Juncheng Shang in four sets in about two hours of play and can qualify for the semis for the second year in a row with a win on Thursday.

In the victory, Van Assche hit eight aces and one double fault. He landed 75% of first serves and won 68% of first-serve points (39/57).

Van Assche won 58% of second-serve points (11/19) and saved two of four break points. On his return, he won an impressive 68% of points on his opponent’s second serves, converting two of 13 break points.

Alex Michelsen vs Luca Van Assche Head-To-Head

• Van Assche leads Michelsen 1-0 in their head-to-head, winning their only meeting at this very tournament last year in five sets.

Alex Michelsen vs Luca Van Assche Prediction

Michelsen and Van Assche were winners on the opening day of the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals and will meet at this tournament for the second consecutive year. They played five sets 12 months ago, with Van Assche holding his nerve to win that encounter.

This time, it's likely for a spot in the semifinal and although Michelsen showed tremendous energy and resilience in his opening win to start this match as the heavy favorite, Van Assche has more than justified his price as the value underdog on Thursday if he summons the same level of tennis he played in beating Shang.