Félix Auger-Aliassime was hot, but he continued his title defense at the tennis tournament in Basel, Switzerland, defeating the surprising Alexander Shevchenko in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Last year’s champion stayed cool until the end and won this 2 hour 34 minute marathon in three sets 7-6(2), 3-6 and 7-6(1). The Quebecer dominated the tiebreakers and beat his qualifying opponent each time.
• Also read: Auger-Aliassime’s flawless journey continues
This is only the second time Auger-Aliassime has reached a semi-final in 2023. In Doha in February, he benefited from a first-round bye before being defeated by Daniil Medvedev in Square Ace.
However, the match started badly for the world’s 19th player as he was broken in the first game but was able to catch up in the sixth game, which eventually led to the tie being broken.
The 23-year-old fought with all his might to stay in the race, even though Shevchenko took the lead several times. He broke the ATP 83rd racket twice in the third set and swept aside a match point while trailing 5-4.
“FAA” finished the duel with no fewer than 16 aces and a success rate of 61% on his first serve attempts. He won 74% of the rallies when he put his first ball into play.
Auger-Aliassime will have a lot to offer in their next meeting. He meets the favorite of the event, the Dane Holger Rune. The latter defeated the Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry in three sets 6:1, 3:6 and 7:6(6).
Rune, the sixth best tennis player in the world, will be looking for revenge as the Montrealer became champion at his expense in Basel in 2022. The latter won the final in two sets with 6:3 and 7 -5.