Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada made a remarkable comeback to defeat Australia’s eighth seed Alex de Minaur 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-5, 7-6(4) during the US Open quarterfinals on Wednesday, marking a significant step in his revival at this year’s final Grand Slam.
Ranked 25th, Auger-Aliassime has faced challenges with injuries and confidence since reaching the US Open semifinals four years ago, but he delivered an outstanding performance at Arthur Ashe Stadium with 22 aces and 51 winners.
De Minaur experienced a familiar disappointment, having reached six Grand Slam quarterfinals without progressing to the semifinals.
“It feels incredible, four years ago seems much longer. The past few years have been tough, but getting back to the semis feels great,” said Auger-Aliassime, who will face either defending champion Jannik Sinner or 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti, both from Italy.
Unforced errors were pivotal in the tightly contested first set, with Auger-Aliassime losing his serve in the seventh game after hitting a shot beyond the baseline.
De Minaur had the upper hand in the second set, saving two break points in a lengthy, eight-deuce fourth game, and breaking Auger-Aliassime’s serve in the fifth game with another out-of-bounds shot.
However, the Canadian quickly broke back and secured the tiebreak on his third set point when De Minaur hit a backhand into the net.
In the third set, De Minaur leveled the score in the 10th game but failed to maintain his momentum, as Auger-Aliassime broke again in the following game and clinched the set with an ace.
De Minaur gained a break in the final set but couldn’t sustain it, as Auger-Aliassime broke him to love in the ninth game and dominated the final tiebreak.
“It was a nerve-wracking match today,” said Auger-Aliassime. “It wasn’t pretty, but that’s what Grand Slam matches are sometimes.”
