Auger-Aliassime Reaches US Open Semifinals, Overcoming De Minaur in Four Sets
NEW YORK – Felix Auger-Aliassime battled back from a set down to defeat Alex de Minaur 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 and secure his place in the US Open semifinals on Wednesday. The victory marks a breakthrough moment for Auger-Aliassime, while representing a arduous loss for de Minaur, who continues to seek his first major semifinal win.
De Minaur had previously fallen in quarterfinal matches against established top-five players, including Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open in January. His only prior quarterfinal loss to a player outside the top five came against Jack Draper, who has since risen to prominence.
This match,however,presented a different challenge for de Minaur,as Auger-Aliassime struggled to find his form under pressure.”It is very tough when you have worked so hard for something and you constantly are putting yourself in positions to, in a way, prove people wrong, right? But yet again, you kind of fall, and especially this time, it’s a tough one to take,” de Minaur said after the match.
He continued, “Ther is no beating around the bush. It’s one of those matches that I would love to play again.There are other times that the opponent has a lot to say, and I have played quarterfinals where I played Jannik, and he was just too good, right, and there’s not really much I could have done. But I feel like this one was on my racket, and it is a shame. I don’t know how I’ll handle it. I’m definitely, as of right now, seeing red, but yeah, I’ll get over it. It’s just tennis, right?”
