Felix Auger-Aliassime has seen the future of tennis—and will be seeing him across the net tomorrow.
The 21-year-old Canadian calls 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, his opponent in the US Open quarterfinals, a player who will challenge for the world No. 1 ranking for years to come.
More: Auger-Aliassime Tops Tiafoe
"Carlos is a great player. Great person also, I think," Auger-Aliassime said after his four-set win over American Frances Tiafoe. "He eserves to be in that position. He's going to be top of the game I think for many years in the future."
In his US Open debut, the 55th-ranked Alcaraz has emerged as a fan favorite. The Spanish teenager stunned third-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in round three sometimes hitting his forehand 8 to 10 mph harder than the French Open finalist in that five-set upset.
Contesting his second straight Grand Slam quarterfinal, Auger-Aliassime expects Alcaraz, coached by former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, to bring his best.
"I think, you know, of course everything is a first for him this week. So it's not for me, it's not like it's any different, okay, it's his first quarterfinal, but it was his first fourth round, third round, first US Open," Auger-Aliassime said. "So I think he's playing good and he will keep playing well in this tournament, so I have to prepare myself for the best of him."
Photo credit: Pete Staples/USTA/US Open