After a troublesome defeat within the Japan Open every week in the past, Felix Auger-Aliassime has bounced again in one of the best ways.
The Canadian took down Alexander Shevchenko in three units 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-6(1) in a nail-biter of a quarter-finals match on the Swiss Indoors in Basel. Although Auger-Aliassime dropped the second set, his two massive wins within the first and third units paved the best way for a poised victory.
Along with his victory at this time, Auger-Aliassime has reached his first semifinals since February 2023 on the Qatar Open.
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The match was a real battle of equals because it lasted over two and a half hours and resulted in two units being determined by tiebreakers. Whereas Shevchenko ran out of steam because the third set progressed, he put up a combat till the very finish.
Auger-Aliassime gained his first set in a heated tiebreaker 7-6(2). The Canadian was on level as he secured six aces whereas scoring factors in 73 per cent of his first serves. Although he was much less dominant in his second serve, he nonetheless managed to attain factors on 53 per cent of them.
He neither shined nor crumbled in his returns as he managed to interrupt his opponent’s serve as soon as within the first set. His opponent solely broke Auger-Aliassime’s serve as soon as as effectively in that very same set.
The second set went Shevchenko’s manner, with the distinction maker being a single break of serve within the fourth sport that allowed Shevchenko to go on a large enough run to widen the hole. Auger-Aliassime’s serve remained sturdy regardless of dropping the second set, recording seven aces alongside the best way and scoring factors in 79 per cent of his first serves.
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The third and remaining set, nevertheless, might need been probably the most rigorous of the three. The aces had been even at three a chunk, although the Canadian noticed extra success in his first serve factors. They each additionally transformed two break factors every, however Shevchenko couldn’t profit from his serves through the tiebreaker. It was a lopsided end to an in any other case tightly contested sport, however Auger-Aliassime made probably the most of his opponent’s fatigue to seal it.
With the trophy in his sights, Auger-Aliassime is now nearer to repeating the victory he achieved in the identical match a 12 months in the past. Tomorrow he’ll face Holder Rune (1) as he inches nearer to defending his title.
