The 21-year-old American found himself playing an away match on home soil. He was up against Chilean player Alejandro Tabilo, and Court 1 was packed with Tabilo’s compatriots. Despite the crowd being against Alex Michelsen, he sealed the match in three sets, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4, and quite literally silenced the crowd.

There’s a huge Latin influence at the Miami Open 2026. It was first seen during the match between Carlos Alcaraz and João Fonseca, and now here. Alex Michelsen’s gesture of putting his finger to his lips to shush the crowd was met with boos, chants, and a chorus of displeasure from the crowd, but he was not apologetic. 

“I had to shut them up, unfortunately. I like it when people want to see me lose. It was a great atmosphere. I love it. I love how patriotic Chileans are about their own. I think it’s incredible. But a couple of people were disrespectful during the match,” Michelsen said in the post-match conference.

The world No. 30 lost the first set but staged a brilliant comeback in the next two sets. He was clinical with his serving, as he won 83% of his first-serve points and hit 12 aces with zero double faults. He converted the hostility into a source of his motivation. The booing did not have any effect on him; if anything, it backfired on Tabilo. 

“I love it when people are cheering against me, so it was a lot of fun. Win or lose, I’d say the same thing I always say. It definitely helped me a lot today,” Michelsen added.

Additionally, this wasn’t the first time he had faced such a situation. Something similar happened against another Chilean at the 2023 US Open.

He was playing Nicolas Jarry at that time, and once again, the crowd was on its feet. He had won the first set, but Jarry took the match from him in the next three sets. That was his debut at the home Grand Slam, with relatively newer conditions, but having gone through that before helped him seize the moment this time.  

“It’s part of what makes this tournament great. It’s the city. There are so many South Americans here, and I think the atmosphere for them has been incredible. I played against Nicolas Jarry at the US Open, and I already had a taste of that, so I more or less knew what to expect today. I think I was very well prepared, and I handled it very well,” he added.

The next assignment will be the hardest yet for Michelsen, as he gears up to battle against world No. 2 in the fourth round.  

Alex Michelsen will face Jannik Sinner in the fourth round of the Miami Open 

The former world No. 30 has had a great campaign so far at Miami Gardens, having defeated Mattia Bellucci, 23rd seed Cameron Norrie, and Alejandro Tabilo. Alex Michelsen is set to take on four-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner in the last 16. 

Sinner is coming off a title victory at Indian Wells, and he will be determined to complete the Sunshine Double. The Italian has blown past both his previous round opponents in straight sets, Damir Džumhur and Corentin Moutet. With his rival Carlos Alcaraz already out of the tournament, this is his best chance to seal back-to-back Masters titles. 

Both players have met twice before in their careers, with Sinner dominating both encounters. However, the 21-year-old will take confidence from his campaign so far and will play fearlessly. Lower-ranked players tend to increase their level when facing top-tier players, which can be on display in the match. 

This is a perfect opportunity for the young American to stamp his authority on the tennis world. A win against the second seed would mark the biggest result of his career and further establish him as a strong title contender.

Can Michelsen create an upset at the Miami Open? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.