Michelsen sees off de Jong 6-4 6-4 in Cincinnati opener

Alex Michelsen opened his Cincinnati campaign with a controlled 6-4 6-4 win over Jesper de Jong, one break in each set proving enough to settle a tight straight-setter. The American's serve was the difference: seven aces against a single double fault, 63.2 percent of first serves landed and 83.3 percent of those points won. De Jong found the court with only half his first deliveries and won 40 percent behind the second, with four double faults adding to the pressure on his hold games. It was a clean start to the Masters 1000 for Michelsen in the round of 128.