Australia’s Alex de Minaur is out of the US Open, losing in four sets to Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime at Flushing Meadows.
De Minaur took the opening set but he could not go on with it, losing 6-4, 6-7 (9/7), 5-7, 6-7 (7/4) in a match that went more than four hours on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The loss means that the Australian has still never made it to the semifinals of a major tournament in his career. De Minaur has now made six quarterfinal appearances at grand slams without advancing.
De Minaur, who had bowed out at Wimbledon to Novak Djokovic bemoaning the poor quality of his serving, will again have to unravel why his first-serve percentage was so low at just 42.
For all that, he still looked as if he had the solidity to prevail, and as usual there was nothing wrong with his spirit.
Again, however, the killer instinct was not there and Auger-Aliassime, ranked number 27 in the world, brought the pain.
Looking for that elusive breakthrough, de Minaur was one set up, held a set point in the second, fought back to parity in the third before succumbing and controlling the fourth. Yet he still ended up faltering and succumbing fairly tamely on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The Australian produced some trademark shots and court movement, frustrating Auger-Aliassime at times with his ability to chase balls down.
But both men struggled to close out sets, producing double faults and making unforced errors. De Minaur sent down eight aces but threw in 11 double faults for the match.
In particular, the decisive tie-break showcased the nerves both players were feeling, with the first five points of the breaker going against the server.
Auger-Aliassime, the 25th seed, has struggled with injuries and dips in confidence since his breakthrough trip to the US Open semi-final four years ago but brought his best level to Arthur Ashe Stadium as he sent more than 22 aces and 51 winners.
His win followed a breakthrough victory over German third seed Alexander Zverev in the round of 16.
“It feels amazing, four years ago, it feels like more. It’s been a tough couple of years but it feels great to be back in the semis,” Auger-Aliassime said after the match.
Felix Auger-Aliassime beat his second top-10 player in a row at the US Open, overcoming Alex de Minaur in a fourth-set tiebreak to clinch victory. (AP: Yuki Iwamura)
Auger-Aliassime will next play either defending champion and world number one Jannik Sinner or 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti, both of Italy.
ABC/Reuters
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