Michelsen vs Kudla Prediction (final): 2023 Knoxville Challenger Tennis
Two Americans have made the 2023 Knoxville Challenger final. Alex Michelsen will face Denis Kudla at the tennis event this weekend, a match that will be played on Sunday. The match is between two players currently ranked well outside of the Top 100 on the ATP Tour. However, Michelsen is just 19 years old and he has a chance to get into the Top 100 with a win. My Michelsen vs Kudla prediction is that the former will emerge from this match victorious.
The Michelsen vs Kudla h2h is 0-0. This will be their first meeting in a match at any level.
The best thing to look at in previewing this match is how they’ve done in the current draw. Of course, each player enters the match 4-0 in the draw, otherwise, they would be out of the tournament. However, Michelsen has been the efficient one in advancing.
He has played almost 50 fewer points in getting to the final. His on-court time is also a lot better, meaning he should be the fresher player in the final. In addition to that, Michelsen is some 13 years younger than Kudla. That kind of age gap is usually very important to consider in a tournament final. The younger players recover from the earlier workouts quicker than their older counterparts. Basically, in addition to what appears to be superior talent, Michelsen has a massive edge when it comes to youth.
Michelsen vs Kudla Prediction: Michelsen to win
The betting action seems to have favored Michelsen (bet365). He is priced at -150 to win the match straight up.
Michelsen does have some decent wins this season. He has claimed victories over all of James Duckworth, Mackenzie McDonald, John Isner, Juan Pablo Varillas, Sebastian Ofner, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, and Bernard Tomic. You don’t really see those kinds of players in Kudla’s recent wins. Michelsen at -150 might be a steal in this match. He certainly should be motivated for the title as he looks to finish the season in the Top 100. He would have good prospects of making his Australian Open debut without the need for qualifiers in a couple of months with a challenger title this weekend.
