Felix Auger-Aliassime explains how Jannik Sinner 'caught him off guard' in their Cincinnati clash before the US Open

Despite his best efforts, Felix Auger-Aliassime was unable to knock out the defending champion Jannik Sinner at the US Open.

Auger-Aliassime lost to Sinner in four sets, falling short of a maiden Grand Slam final appearance after an impressive tournament in New York.

The Canadian had earned wins over Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, and Alex de Minaur en route to the final four, matching his best major finish from 2021.

Though he could not find an answer for the world number one, Auger-Aliassime delivered a much-improved performance against him than in their previous meeting.

Felix Auger-Aliassime reacts to his US Open defeat to Jannik Sinner

He lost to Sinner, 6-0, 6-2, in the Cincinnati Open quarterfinals, falling to the Italian for the first time at tour level.

In his post-match press conference, Auger-Aliassime said of the New York bout: “I played much better. I served much better. It was weird in Cincinnati. We hadn’t played in years, and it was like I was caught by surprise in a way.

“We hadn’t practiced even once in three years. So it was like there’s one thing to watch a guy, but there’s another to be on the court with him, and just the way he was returning how fast he was playing, it caught me off guard a little bit.

“Then once you go down, it’s also two out of three, and I went down quickly, so it affected my game. But tonight I knew what to expect.

“He still had a great start, but I had much more belief that as the match went on, I would find a good level and be competitive.”

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Felix Auger-Aliassime’s 2025 US Open campaign

Auger-Aliassime kicked off his 2025 US Open campaign with two straight-set victories over Billy Harris and Roman Safiullin.

He then picked up a statement win over third seed Zverev, besting the German after coming back from a set down.

The world number 27 overcame Rublev comfortably in the fourth round, before knocking out eighth seed de Minaur in a closely contested four-set bout.

After becoming the second player to take a set off Sinner at the US Open, he was ultimately denied a place in the final.

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