Felix Auger-Aliassime’s incredible run at the US Open came to an end in the semifinals on Friday night, but did the Canadian ever go down with a fight — going toe-to-toe with the world No. 1 in front of a raucous crowd that backed Auger-Aliassime from the start.
After dropping the opening set 6-1 to Jannik Sinner, Auger-Aliassime turned the tables, capitalizing on his booming serve to take the second set 6-3 before the Italian returned from a medical timeout and regained control to take the final two sets and the match.
Auger-Aliassime, the 25-year-old from Montreal, equals his career-best performance at a Grand Slam, four years after he made the semifinal here for the first time.
Sinner, the defending champion, had dropped just a single set in his bid for a repeat heading into this semifinal, and Auger-Aliassime gave him his best test yet in a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 decision at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Italian will face world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in Sunday’s final in a bid for his fifth career Grand Slam.
Sinner dominated at the start of this semifinal, and it looked like it might be over in a jiffy. He didn’t give up a single point on his opening service game, ending with a 121-m.p.h. ace. Auger-Aliassime, meanwhile, opened his first service game with a double fault, and while he saved a pair of break points and registered his first ace of the game, Sinner went on to earn that early break.
It was exactly the start Auger-Aliassime didn’t want, and couldn’t afford against Sinner. The Canadian’s serve is his biggest weapon, and he couldn’t hold it in his opening game, or much in that opening set.
The crowd was behind Auger-Aliassime this whole match, cheering on the underdog in a contest featuring the world No. 27 against the world No. 1, wanting someone to challenge Sinner. They cheered when Auger-Aliassime won his first point, when he fired his first ace, when he floated in a drop shot that even Sinner, who moves about so quickly and effortlessly, couldn’t reach. They stood and roared when Auger-Aliassime won long rallies, and the Canadian smiled as he took it all in.
When Auger-Aliassime pumped his fist and yelled “yeah!” after winning a break point in the second set, this crowd was on its feet, cheering right along with him. The umpire had to ask them to “please” be quiet when some yelled “Go Felix” as Sinner was preparing to serve. New York wanted a show, and the Canadian made sure they got one.
Auger-Aliassime didn’t win many points on long rallies with Sinner — few in the game the model of consistency — but the Canadian’s volley game was working well when he could get it going. So too was his first serve when he could locate it.
Auger-Aliassime’s serve improved incredibly in the second set, and when he won his second service game with four straight points, he raised a fist and walked back to his court-side seat.
He had momentum in this one after that second set, but it was brief. Sinner returned from a medical timeout to start the third set, and though he appeared to struggle early with power and with his serve, the 24-year-old returned to form and took control with a break to take the set and regain the lead, even though he was less than 50 per cent with his first serve.
Auger-Aliassime earned break-point opportunities early in the fourth set, but again Sinner worked his way out of trouble. When Auger-Aliassime earned another break point, he looked at the crowd and yelled “come on!” and they responded. Again the umpire had to say: “thank you,” so they’d quiet down enough for play to resume, and not for the last time.
When Auger-Aliassime fired a crosscourt forehand winner on the run to earn his third break point of the fourth game — his fifth of the set — the crowd lost it again. But he couldn’t capitalize on those chances. Meanwhile, Sinner capitalized on his next break point to take a 3-2 lead in the fourth set.
Friday evening’s semifinal featured an absolutely electric atmosphere. Dj Trizz had the tunes pumping loudly, and before the match began, both players walked through smoke machines onto the court. Stars like Julianne Moore, Jon Hamm, Jon Bon Jovi, Kaley Cucuo, Hugh Jackman and Adam Driver were among the celebrities taking this match in.
It’s Auger-Aliassime’s last here this week, and though he didn’t crack his first Grand Slam final, he went on a heck of a run, and didn’t go out quietly.
Auger-Aliassime will move up 14 spots in the world rankings to 13th, now 13th in provisional rankings after dropping world No. 3 Alexander Zverev, world No. 8 Alex de Minaur and world No. 15 Andrey Rublev en route to his second Grand Slam semifinal appearance. That’s the best a Canadian man has ever fared at the US Open.
Auger-Alliasime’s finale here lasted three hours and 21 minutes, and ended with New York fans giving both players a standing ovation.
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