Felix Auger-Aliassime Shines at the US Open
Felix Auger-Aliassime really brought his best game to the final major of the season.
The 25th seed advanced to his second US semi-final, defeating 8th seed Alex De Minaur at Arthur Ashe Stadium with a thrilling 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5, 7-6 (4) win.
De Minaur is just the latest top-15 player to fall to Auger-Aliassime in this tournament, following earlier victories over 3rd seed Alexander Zverev and 15th seed Andrey Rublev.
Next up, Auger-Aliassime will face the winner of the match between world number one Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti.
“This was definitely my toughest match of the tournament so far,” Auger-Aliassime reflected after his victory. “Even when I had that second break, I just told myself to keep trusting the process.”
“I think it was a strong mental response, which really helped my gameplay. Then, during the tiebreak, I found myself down, and it felt like I might not be able to recover.”
Despite falling behind at critical moments, Auger-Aliassime managed to stay composed and took the tiebreak, achieving a remarkable 5-0 record in tiebreaks throughout the tournament.
His victory places him among an elite group as one of only three players born since 2000 to achieve multiple ATP top 10 victories in a men’s singles Grand Slam, a feat shared with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
It’s interesting to note that despite his earlier successes in the season at the Adelaide International and Open Octopus, Auger-Aliassime struggled to find his rhythm in Grand Slam events, having lost early at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Yet, at the US Open, he has displayed some of his finest tennis.
“I’m just trying to be true to myself,” he said regarding his mental approach. “I try not to get too excited on or off the court. It’s just who I am. Sure, I can find some energy when needed, but I make an effort not to fake it.”
In the match, Auger-Aliassime faced De Minaur, who was seeking his first major semi-final appearance.
Auger-Aliassime had previously reached the semi-finals in 2021, where he lost to Daniil Medvedev in straight sets at just 21 years old.
Now, he looks toward another chance, four years later.
