Auger-Aliassime falls to Sinner in U.S. Open semi-final after thrilling Grand Slam run

A thrilling run for Félix Auger-Aliassime at the U.S. Open came to an end on Friday night, in a gutsy semi-final loss to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

The Canadian stole a set off the dominant Italian during a wildly entertaining match, but ultimately fell short in his second career appearance in a Grand Slam semi. Sinner earned the spot in Sunday’s singles final against World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz.

Seeded 25th at the U.S. Open, Auger-Aliassime had surprised by making the final four. The other three: 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic, plus the two most dominant men currently in tennis – rivals Sinner and Alcaraz, who have combined to win the last seven men’s singles Grand Slam titles.

But Auger-Aliassime’s run in New York was impressive. He slayed a trio of top 15 players to get to the semis: third-seeded Alexander Zverev, 15th seed Andrey Rublev and No. 8 Alex de Minaur. Then he slugged it out with Sinner during a thrilling Friday night. He also earned a semi-finalist’s prize of US$1.26-million.

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“Tonight, I just want to take a moment to soak in the tournament and everything that was good,” Auger-Aliassime told reporters after the match. “To say how close my level is [with Sinner’s]? Yeah, we were fighting out there. We had some good points. I was going toe-to-toe at times, some sets dominating. Of course, I feel competitive, but the future will tell how close I am.”

He seemed to regain his spark from a few years back, when he was a career-high No. 6. He added a feel-good personal story at Flushing Meadows too, soon to wed equestrian fiancée Nina Ghaibi, and talking excitedly about his suit fitting, scheduled aptly for the day after the U.S. Open final.

This was Auger-Aliassime’s best result in New York since he rallied to the semi-finals at his first Slam in 2021. That year, he became the first Canadian U.S. Open semi-finalist in the men’s singles event, and he lost a match to Daniil Medvedev not nearly as thrilling as Friday’s.

A win Friday would have seen him join Milos Raonic as the only Canadian men to make a singles Grand Slam final, a moment Raonic reached at Wimbledon in 2016.

But here’s what the 25-year-old Montrealer was up against Friday night: the U.S. Open reigning champion and top seed, on a 26-match winning streak in hardcourt Grand Slam matches, looking to record his 300th career victory. The 24-year-old Italian was also on the cusp of becoming the youngest man in the Open Era to reach all four Grand Slam finals in a single season.

Auger-Aliassime had beat Sinner twice before, but in 2022. Sinner had won their third meeting easily 6-0, 6-2, just last month in the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open.

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On Friday night in New York, on one of the grandest stages in the sport, under the prime time lights inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, with a full house that included celebrities from Jon Hamm to Adam Driver and Jon Bon Jovi, Sinner applied pressure right away.

The man with 20 ATP titles to his name, including four majors, dominated the first set. It looked likely he might cruise.

Then Auger-Aliassime totally transformed the vibe in the second set. He kept it on serve early and blistered forehand winners, swaying the crowd to his favour. He pressed Sinner, and the Italian was finally broken for the first time in 39 service games in New York. The Montrealer was serving great. It felt suddenly as if the volume dial got cranked inside Arthur Ashe. With 15 straight service points, the unlikely Canadian won the second set.

Sinner left the court for a quick medical timeout before the third set with an apparent abdominal issue. The Italian seemed a little slowed, but he kept swinging. Auger-Aliassime had lost a little of that serving magic. They remained on serve for the first five games until Sinner pulled back into control and took the third set.

Auger-Aliassime would not give up. He delivered winners on exciting angles. He held serve when the pressure was mounting. He made Sinner face more break points than any other opponent had in the tournament. Ultimately, after three and a half hours on court, the Italian won the match.

Auger-Aliassime said he had no regrets from the match, even the several break points he couldn’t convert in the fourth set. He’d been pleased with many things in New York – his level, his serve, forehand, backhand and movement.

“On top of that, it’s the belief, the mentality, the conviction in myself that I have what it takes to win these types of matches,” said Auger-Aliassime. “I was still believing that my time will come and I will play at a good level again. I think those kind of matches are gratifying for me. I think the mentality is something that I’ve been working on and that was good this week.”

Sinner noticed a big jump in the Canadian’s play too.

“He’s a completely different player,” said Sinner of Auger-Aliassime’s U.S. Open performance compared to the pair’s meeting just last month in Cincinnati.

With his 27th straight victory in a hardcourt major, Sinner tied Djokovic for the second-most ever. Only Roger Federer has more, with 40, between 2005 and 2008.

Earlier Friday, Alcaraz coasted past Djokovic in the other semi-final, 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-2, ousting the 38-year-old in his bid for a 25th Grand Slam title. The 22-year-old Spaniard has not dropped a set in Flushing Meadows during this tournament. This is where Alcaraz won his first major title in 2022. He’s looking for his sixth Grand Slam trophy, and his second at the U.S. Open. Sinner wants to repeat.

As for Auger-Aliassime, he will see a big boost in his ranking thanks to his U.S. Open performance. He arrived in Flushing Meadows the World No.27. He’s expected to jump inside the top 13.

He said he must now speak to his team – and his fiancée – about whether he will play for Canada in the Davis Cup tie against Israel next week in Halifax.

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