The US Men’s Clay Court Championships continues this week as Alex Michelson faces Adrian Mannarino while Kei Nishikori goes up against Christopher Eubanks in the competition’s round of 16. Damien Kayat previews.
2025 ATP Tour – ATP 250
US Men’s Clay Court Championships
River Oaks Country Club
Selected RO16 – 3 April
Alex Michelson 17/100 | Adrian Mannarino 38/10
I think that Alex Michelson will probably be fairly pleased with his decision to skip college tennis and go pro. The American reached two finals last year and still has plenty of room to grow.
He started his 2025 campaign in terrific style, reaching the quarters in Auckland before an exceptional 4th round run at the Aussie Open. Michelson beat Tsitsipas in the first round of the Aussie Open (his first win against a top 15 player at a slam).
He would go on to reach the semis in Delray Beach but has struggled to make serious inroads since then (he did withdraw from Indian Wells due to illness). The 5th seed looked in fine form in his opener, taking down 2025 breakthrough sensation Learner Tien 6-4, 6-2.
He overwhelmed the lefty with his serve, winning 87% of his first-serve points. An aggressive player who likes to approach the net, so it will be interesting to see how he handles this transition to clay.
Wow, a year is a long time in professional sports. Crafty Frenchman Adrian Mannarino broke into the top 20 in the world for the first time last year, reaching a high of 17 after reaching the semifinals of the United Cup.
But the 36-year-old has hit the proverbial brick wall since then, dropping well outside the top 100 due to a string of poor results. He came into this week’s tournament with a 3-10 record for the season (challengers and qualifiers included).
Ouch! His brand of tricky counterpunching looks antiquated in this era of power-based tennis. He is 36 years of age now and can’t physically outdo his opponents likes he used to. Mannarino is doing it the hard way in Charleston, coming through two three-set qualifiers before a somewhat comfortable 7-6, 6-3 win over Yannick Hanfmann.
Mannarino has never taken to the sticky stuff, failing to reach an ATP clay-court final while never going beyond the 2nd round of the French Open. He likes faster surfaces when he can redirect power; he can’t create his own power on clay.
The Verdict: Michelson to win in straight sets 56/100
These two share the head-to-head spoils at one win apiece, with Michelson winning their most recent meeting at last year’s Mallorca Open. This should be a procession for Michelson.
He looked very composed against Tien (who, like Mannarino, is a lefty). Everything looks a struggle for the Frenchman and I wouldn’t be too surprised if he calls an end to his career soon.
Kei Nishikori 44/100 | Christopher Eubanks 7/4
You can only admire the fighting spirit of Kei Nishikori. The former World No.4 has been ravaged by injury throughout his career. But the former US Open finalist has rolled with the punches, mounting an impressive late-career resurgence at the age of 35.
He ended 2024 in strong fashion, reaching a first Masters 1000 title in five years at the Canadian Masters (he also picked up a Challenger title around the same time). He then started 2025 in incredible style, winning his 12th ATP Tour title in Hong Kong (in an admittedly low-quality lineup).
He reached the 2nd round in Melbourne, beating Monterio in five sets to further bolster his sensational five-set Grand Slam record (only Djokovic has a better record amongst active players). He dipped after that, going 1-3 in his next three tournaments (though he did reach a Challenger semifinal in Phoenix).
He looked sound in his Houston opener, taking down Mitchell Kruger in straight sets. Though a hardcourt specialist, Nishikori has enjoyed plenty of success on clay, reaching seven finals and winning two titles.
He has reached three French Open quarterfinals and finished runner-up in Monte-Carlo and Madrid. In fact, he finished runner-up in this event all the way back in 2011 (which further testament to his longevity).
Christopher Eubanks will be thrilled with his hard-fought three-set win over Rinky Hikijata. The hard-hitting American has been suffering this season, winning just one tour-level match prior to this week.
In fact, he came into this tournament on a four-match losing streak (losing all of those matches in straight sets). Amazingly, he had never picked up a tour-level clay-court win prior to this match. I just think that players have figured out his rather one-dimensional style (serve big and hit flat forehands).
That style certainly doesn’t translate well to clay-court tennis. He needs to mix things up if he aims to progress in this game. Eubanks was a breath of fresh air when he broke through in 2023, reaching the Wimbledon quarters and winning his maiden ATP Tour title in Mallorca.
Still, he will be delighted- probably a bit surprised- that he managed to get the job done against the Aussie.
The Verdict: Nishikori to win in three sets 26/10
This will be their first career meeting. Eubanks has always been a confidence player, and I think he is likely to raise his level following that Hikijata win.
Nishikori may need a little time to adjust to his hard-hitting style. Still, Nishikori is a supreme athlete and his tennis IQ should see him through to a three-set win.
