Alex Michelsen beats former champion Taylor Fritz at Indian Wells ATP Tour
Indian Wells
Michelson beats former champion Fritz in Indian Wells
Hijikata beats Bublik, Norrie beats De Minaur
March 10, 2026
ATP Tour
Alex Michelsen’s performance at the BNP Paribas Open.
Written by ATP Staff
Alex Michelsen earned the biggest win of his career on Monday, defeating PIF ATP No. 7 Taylor Fritz 6-4, 7-6(6) in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open.
“My performance was above my average,” Michelsen said after defeating the 2022 champion. “That’s what you have to do to beat a guy like him.”
Michelsen produced an impressive serving performance in the Lexus ATP head-to-head series against Fritz to improve to 2-0. According to Infosys ATP statistics, the American saved 7 of the 8 break points he faced and won 73% of his first serve points (40/55). Despite losing serve in the match, Michelsen held firm in the tie-break, saving a set point at 5/6 and finally sealing the victory in 1 hour and 39 minutes.
“That’s when I kind of got back into muscle memory,” Michelson said, “and was kind of lucky both times.”
The victory over Fritz gave Michaelson his first top-10 win since defeating 10th-ranked Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals of the 2025 ATP Masters 1000 event in Toronto. The 21-year-old will face two-time finalist Daniil Medvedev or Sebastian Baez in the fourth round.
In other matches, Hijikata Rinki defeated No. 10 seed Alexander Bublik 6-7(3), 7-6(3), 6-3 and advanced to the fourth round of the ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time. With the win, the Australian qualifier earned his first top-10 win. The 25-year-old will next face 2021 champion Cameron Norrie.
Watch highlights from the Hijikata vs. Bublik match:
Norrie also pulled off an upset victory on Monday, defeating sixth seed Alex De Minaur 6-4, 6-4. The Briton saved six of the seven break points he faced in his one-hour, 39-minute victory over the Australian and improve their Lexus ATP series lead to 3-2.
