By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, March 9, 2026
Photo credit: BNP Paribas Open Facebook
INDIAN WELLS—Alex Michelsen’s back was against the wall stuck in the shadows as Taylor Fritz fired away.
The 6’4” Michelsen is an aggressive baseline at heart, but today determined defense sparked the biggest win of his career.
Down set point in the tiebreaker at 5-6, Michelsen dashed sideline to sideline defending successive smashes from Fritz before drawing an error.
A dynamic Michelsen won the final three points of the tiebreaker upsetting the seventh-seeded Fritz 6-4, 7-6(6) in an all-American Stadium 2 shootout.
“It’s a very important win. Top-10 player, been top American for many years, someone I have
looked up to for a long time,” Michelsen said. “It’s a very big win for me, especially to do it out here close
to home and get another fourth round of a Masters, I think it’s my second time. Yeah, it’s a big win for me.”
Exuding guile and grit, Michelsen toppled the 2022 champion Fritz—his frequent practice partner—to reach the Indian Wells fourth round for the first time.
“I kind of went back to muscle memory at that point,” Michelsen said of his sliding set-point saves, “Also got a little lucky twice there.”
Laguna Hills native Michelsen will face either 11th-seeded Dubai champion Daniil Medvedev or Sebastian Baez for a quarterfinal spot.
The 21-year-old Michelsen scored the biggest win of his career and hit a milestone mark in the process. Michelsen and 20-year-old Learner Tien, who out-dueled Ben Shelton 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3 in an all-American clash of lefties yesterday, are both into the round of 16. It’s the first time multiple American men aged 21-and-under have reached the Indian Wells round of 16 since former No. 1 Andy Roddick and Robby Ginepri did it way back in 2023 when the tournament featured a 64-player draw.
Michelsen and Tien grew up playing the ultra-competitive SoCal junior circuit together and are inspiring each other as pros.
“I was super happy for him. I talked to him after the match,” Michelsen said of Tien. “I was
texting him, and he texted me after I won today.
“Yeah, it’s always nice when we try and go like this to each other, try and one-up each other. He’s definitely beating me right now, so I have to catch him eventually. It’s really fun. We’re both doing super well at the same tournament. Doesn’t happen very often, but we’re enjoying it a lot, and
we’re rooting for each other, for sure.”
It’s a frustrating loss for Fritz, who hit the breaking point early in the second set.
The seventh-seeded Fritz failed to convert on a break point in the fourth game. From Love-40 down, Fritz saved to break points but missed a clear look at a forehand down the line.
Festering frustration erupted as Fritz snapped his Head racquet over his knee after Michelsen broke for 3-2.
Serving to consolidate, Michelsen rallied from triple break point down, hitting three winners in a row. The 6’4” Michelsen scraped out a low backhand volley to set up an easy high forehand volley that helped him hold for 4-2.
“Today I was really impressed with how he served,” Fritz said. “I practice with him a lot. I don’t feel like he normally serves that well. Just especially on the big points today, he just served incredible on a lot of the big points. When he really needed it, he’d put a serve on the line, a lot of first serves.
“It was very good serving from him today. I mean, in general, he’s got great hands. He comes to the net well. He can move the ball around great with his backhand. Like I said, I practice with him quite a bit. I was impressed.”
Though Michelsen failed to serve out the match up 5-4, 30-15, he navigated the tricky tiebreaker.
Operating near the back wall against former US Open finalist Fritz is not where opponents want to be on hard courts. Michelsen did not panic taking a page from his mom’s playbook. Michelsen’s mother, Sondra, who starred on the San Diego State tennis team, hit with her son nearly daily from the time he was 4 years old.
“She’s a wall,” Michelsen said, sharing his first win over mom came when he was 14 or 15.
It is Michelsen’s second win over Fritz in as many meetings following his 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 victory on the red clay of the 2024 Geneva event.
Michelsen served 71 percent, saved 7 of 8 break points and hit 30 winners—two more than Fritz—in an enthralling 99-minute win.
It comes one round after Michelsen fended off Frenchman Ugo Humbert in a pulsating 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(6) on Stadium 5 that closed the schedule on Saturday night.
In both matches, Michelsen showed competitive spine—and a fearlessness to attack on pivotal points. Those will be essential elements should he face former world No. 1 Medvedev next.