Alex Michelsen vs Juncheng Shang Prediction Next Gen ATP Finals Tennis Picks 12/20/24

Alex Michelsen made two wins out of two, beating Luca Van Assche in his second group match and qualifying for the semifinal. In the victory, Michelsen hit six aces and landed 68% of first serves. 

He won 71% of first-serve points (39/55) and 54% of second-serve points (14/26) and saved three of six break points he faced. 

Michelsen won 35% of return points in total (25/71), but was almost clinical in converting his chances (2 out of 3 break points). He finished the match with eight winners and 20 unforced errors.

It's a terrific turnaround for Michelsen who lost all three round-robin matches last year at the Next Gen ATP Finals.

Juncheng Shang Preview

Juncheng Shang lost his second match at the tournament to American rookie Nishesh Basavareddy thereby sealing his own elimination from the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals.

Once more, four sets were all it took for Shang to lose the match. He did make a bright start, winning the first set in a tie-break, but then completely vanished, winning just five games in the next three sets.

The match lasted an hour and 35 minutes, with Shang recording 26 winners and 33 unforced errors. The Chinese young gun had shared on his Instagram story about his dislike of playing tennis in the off-season, raising questions about his motivation to compete in his first Next Gen Finals.

Alex Michelsen vs Juncheng Shang Head-To-Head

• Michelsen leads Shang 2-0 intheir head-to-head, with both wins coming at the Challenger level.

Alex Michelsen vs Juncheng Shang Prediction

Michelsen is looking to make it three wins from three at the tournament and win the group. For him, this is a great return after losing all three matches last year. By contrast, Shang has been a massive disappointment this week, clearly playing below his level and struggling with some fitness issues.

The Chinese lefty is a player who blossomed this season, but deciphering his most recent post on Instagram, he probably preferred to be elsewhere preparing for the new season. With that said, there is still prize money to play for, so Shang cannot entirely be written off. Expect Michelsen to go the full distance for the victory.