Alex Michelsen and Learner Tien face off this afternoon on Centre Court in a battle between two rising American talents in the 2025 Canadian Open Round of 16.
Expectations are high after last night’s all-American duel between Brandon Nakashima and Ben Shelton that saw Shelton emerge with a 6‑7(8), 6‑2, 7‑6(5) win.
The 20-year-old Michelsen staged a stunning comeback earlier this week to knock the 3rd seed, Lorenzo Musetti, in the third round.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Tien continues his breakout summer: after a shock win over Denis Shapovalov, he dispatched Reilly Opelka 7‑6, 6‑3 to reach this stage.
Michelsen-Tien Head-to-Head
Their previous meetings are split: Michelsen nabbed a straight-sets win at Houston 2025, while Tien beat him in the semifinal round of the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals.
What to Watch
Serve vs. Return: The tall, aggressive-shot Michel‑sen leans on first-serve dominance, but Tien counters with depth and court vision on the return.
Baseline scraps: Watch if Tien can extend rallies and force Michelsen into mistakes. Meanwhile, Michelsen’s ability to attack short balls with power and variety will be key.
Mental moments: Tien has already shown ice-cold composure in tiebreak pressure; Michelsen must survive early breaks or Tien may hold serve deep into the match.
Prediction
Tien in straight sets. The 19-year-old has shown strong recent hard-court form. Michelsen’s energy levels may be depleted after the grueling match vs. Musetti.
How to Watch Alex Michelsen vs. Learner Tien
The Round of 16 match between Alex Michelsen and Learner Tien is scheduled to start at around 12:30 PM Eastern on Centre Court.
The match will air live on the Tennis Channel or its T2 overflow coverage streaming broadcast. There’s also a dedicated stream for the match on the Tennis Channel website here.
A standalone Tennis Channel streaming subscription is available for $9.99/month or $109.99/year.
Michelsen vs. Tien
Date: Saturday, August 2, 2025
Scheduled Start Time: 12:30 PM Eastern
Venue: Sobeys Stadium, Toronto
Court: Centre Court
TV Coverage: Tennis Channel (Centre Court coverage)
Streaming: Tennis Channel app and website