Michelsen sees off Merida in straight sets at US Open

Alex Michelsen moved through the US Open Round of 32 without dropping a set, edging a first-set tiebreak before pulling clear 7-6, 6-4, 6-3 against Spain's Daniel Merida. The American's serve was the steadier platform throughout: he landed 67 percent of first deliveries and won 74.6 percent of those points, with just one double fault all afternoon. Merida struck more aces, eight to six, but his 58.7 percent first-serve rate and seven double faults left him exposed, and he took only 53.3 percent of second-serve points to Michelsen's 61.3. For Michelsen, it was a clean, controlled passage on home soil.