It seems only yesterday the eternally fresh-faced Alex de Minaur was one of the much-touted NextGen hotshots, but now it's a new breed of teen tennis guns who are on his trail.
"He's a tall American, dangerous and with powerful groundstrokes," is de Minaur's verdict on his latest young hitman at the French Open, 19-year-old Alex Michelsen, who's already shot down the Australian No.1 once this season on a Mexican hard court.
De Minaur is counting on the stocky, 1.93m Californian being a bit greener on the red clay but can't rely on it, with Michelsen, who's up to No.60 and will surely soon join his seven compatriots in the top 50, having downed fellow American world No.12 Taylor Fritz in Geneva last week.
