Felix Auger-Aliassime Advances to Grand Slam Semifinal After Four-Year Drought

For the first time in four years, Felix Auger-Aliassime has made his way to a Grand Slam semifinal, marking a significant achievement in his career. This year at the U.S. Open, he managed to defeat the eighth seed, Alex de Minaur from Australia, in a tough quarterfinal match that ended with scores of 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5, 7-6 (4). Prior to this event, Auger-Aliassime had only made one quarterfinal appearance in his last 15 major tournaments.

Despite not being classified as a classic underdog, being ranked 25th at the tournament, Auger-Aliassime has turned heads with a remarkable performance. He has now eliminated three top-15 players, including No. 3 Alexander Zverev, No. 15 Andrey Rublev, and No. 8 de Minaur. This achievement marks the first time he has succeeded in defeating multiple players from the ATP's top 20 in the same Grand Slam.

This semifinal marks only his second appearance at this level in a Grand Slam; his previous was in 2021, where he lost to Daniil Medvedev in straight sets. Reflecting on his journey, the 25-year-old said, “It feels amazing. Four years ago ... It feels like more. It was a tough couple of years, but it feels great to be back in the semifinals.” He acknowledged that he still has significant challenges ahead but noted that competing in intense matches is what he thrives on.

His impressive serving was critical in the quarterfinal bout, where he averaged a first serve speed of 191 mph and recorded 22 aces. The match lasted over four hours, with de Minaur also struggling with double faults, contributing to both players’ erratic gameplay. Despite losing the opening set after a shaky start filled with errors, Auger-Aliassime managed to regain control, minimizing his mistakes in the later sets and ultimately coming out on top.

Throughout the grueling match, he accumulated a total of 51 winners against 50 unforced errors while de Minaur tallied 43 unforced errors versus 29 winners. Auger-Aliassime faced a setback in the third set, getting broken while serving for the lead but managing to recover and clinch the set. He demonstrated remarkable tenacity in the final set, coming back from a 4-1 deficit to secure his place in the semifinals.

On the other hand, de Minaur continues to struggle at this stage of Grand Slam events, now holding a record of 0-6 in quarterfinals throughout his career. The next quarterfinal match, an all-Italian clash between top seed and defending champion Jannik Sinner and No. 10 Lorenzo Musetti, is set to determine who Auger-Aliassime will face in the semifinals. Sinner is on the brink of making his fifth consecutive Grand Slam final appearance, while Musetti aims for his second semifinal this season. In addition, No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz will face seventh-seed Novak Djokovic in the other semifinal match.