Three years removed from reaching the top 10 of the ATP Tour, and multiple deep runs in Grand Slams including the 2021 US Open semifinal, Felix Auger-Aliassime, still just 25, has returned to the late stages of a Grand Slam, it’s a moment for his dedicated fans to celebrate.
Auger-Aliassime Storms Past Rublev in the Round of 16
Facing an opponent he has struggled against his entire career, Andrey Rublev, it was Auger-Aliassime who was ascendent and confident. Rublev was 7-1 against FAA going into the match, including two wins this season, one of which was one of the best matches of the year in the ATP Doha semifinals that went three sets.
Rublev had beaten Auger-Aliassime in the 2024 Madrid Masters final, a tournament that first marked FAA’s comeback to the highest levels of the ATP Tour, and has always had a mental and physical edge in their matchups, until Monday in New York.
Taking advantage of the moment, and the stage, it was FAA who rose to the occasion. From Reuters:
“Today is my first time playing Arthur Ashe in a few years. It feels even better than the first time,” Auger-Aliassime said. “In ’21 I was on my way back and had a few setbacks and injuries, struggles with confidence. To come back here for the second time, it feels better and more deserved. I’m soaking in every moment here.”
With a score of 7-5 6-4 6-3, Auger-Aliassime emerged as the winner, as the Canadian served much better and forced the Russian Rublev into frustrating lapses in play.
An Intriguing Quarterfinal Matchup With Alex de Minaur
World #8 Alex de Minaur has been one of the steadiest opponents on the ATP Tour in recent seasons. Compared to Auger-Aliassime’s roller coaster of a career, de Minaur has achieved almost the perfect example of “great, but not elite”. He’s up to six Grand Slam quarterfinals, without a semifinal, and three of those have come at the US Open (with one quarterfinal each in the other three slams). An all-court player with great speed, but less physical gifts, de Minaur maximizes his results, with consistency and repetition.
Auger-Aliassime has always shown flashes of elite upside to his game. He pushed thru in four close sets against top 5 player Alexander Zverev in the third round, and last year scored top 10 wins over Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev, and Casper Ruud. His 21-43 career record against top 10 opponents shows both his promise, and his limitations. His game was good enough to dismantle a top opponent in Zverev, who was lacking confidence.
Similarly, his record in ATP finals was poor until he won his first title in 2022, the same year he had a 16 match winning streak on tour. Beset by knee and shoulder issues, the latter of which hindered his powerful serve, Auger-Aliassime suffered a slide in form and confidence after his 2021-22 peak.
Only three Canadian men in the modern era have reached a Grand Slam semifinal, with Milos Raonic’s career fading, and Denis Shapovalov failing to make it to the second week of a Grand Slam for three seasons, it’s Auger-Aliassime that is carrying the weight of his nation into the matchup with de Minaur, who for his part, the flag bearer for Australia’s great tennis history. Today’s matchup is an intriguing one.
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
