By Alberto Amalfi | Friday, June 14, 2019
Continuing his quest for his first ATP title, Felix Auger-Aliassime solidified his status as an all-surface threat.
An explosive Auger-Aliassime saved a match point at 4-5 in the final set subduing German qualifier Dustin Brown, 7-6 (3), 6-7 (2), 7-6 (2) in a pulsating triumph to power into his fourth semifinal of the season on the grass of Stuttgart.
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Last month, the 18-year-old Canadian became the youngest man to crack the Top 25 since Lleyton Hewitt in 1999.
Today, Auger-Aliassime became the youngest man since Hewitt in '99 to reach ATP semifinals on three or more different surfaces in the same season.
It was quite a performance against an experience grass-court opponent, who was empowered by his 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-3 upset of top-seeded Alexander Zverev yesterday.
"Pretty emotional match," Auger-Aliassime said afterward. "I think I served really well the first two sets. And I had my chances in the second, a few love-30s, and he was every time able to come up with some good serves, good volleys."
Contesting the first pro grass event of his career, Auger-Aliassime whipped 30 aces against three double faults and denied four of five break points improving to 23-12 on the season.
The teenager's pin-point serve and punishing groundstrokes were the key to this tie break test.
Calm nerve a bit of good fortune aided Auger-Aliassime down the stretch.
"I have to give credit to him because he was playing really well and I think he was that close from winning the match," Auger-Aliassime said. "So I got a bit lucky in the third set. But in the end I was able to stay composed, find ways to get through and it paid off again so I'm happy."
Ripping a backhand return pass, Auger-Aliassime earned the mini-break and a 4-2 lead in the opening tie breaker. On his first set point, Auger-Aliassime sealed the set when Brown botched a backhand volley into net.
The 34-year-old Brown relied on his strong serve-and-volley skills and penchant for the drop shot to take the second set and force a decider.
Miami semifinalist Auger-Aliassime showed service grit saving a couple of break points, including whizzing an ace wide on one break point, navigating a nine-minute hold for a 2-1 lead in the decider.
Two games later, Brown charged net coaxing a wild forehand pass for another break point. On the ensuing point, Brown slipped behind the baseline and dropped to the grass. Auger-Aliassime, with a wide open court ahead, scattered a forehand then belted the ball out of the stadium in disgusting at gifting the break and a 3-2 lead.
Streaking through a love hold, Brown banged an ace backing up the break for a 4-2 lead at the two-hour mark.
Serving for his first Stuttgart semifinal, Brown missed a high volley on match point. The lanky German saved three break points.
On break point number four, Auger-Aliassime showed electric athleticism sprinting up to a dropper, a sliding into a shoveled a reply, pivoting then running down a lob, spinning and flashing a forehand pass breaking back for 5-all.
Auger-Aliassime surged out to a 5-0 lead in the final breaker closing a gripping two hour, 28-minute victory putting a pass at Brown's feet.
The Canadian No. 2 will face Canadian No. 1 Milos Raonic for a spot in Sunday's final.
The sixth-seeded Raonic, who was sidelined the entire clay season due to a right knee injury, topped 52nd-ranked Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, 6-4, 6-4, on the strength of 12 aces.
Playing his first tournament since Miami in March, Raonic scored his first straight-sets win of the week. Raonic reached the Indian Wells semifinals in March and beat Auger-Aliassime, 6-4, 6-4, in their lone pro encounter at the 2018 Indian Wells.
Earlier, imposing Italian Matteo Berrettini booked his spot in his first career ATP grass-court semifinal streaking past American Denis Kudla, 6-3, 6-3.
The big-serving Berrettini banged 10 aces with one double fault, won 26 of 29 first-serve points and did not face a break point posting his third consecutive straight-sets sweep of the tournament. Berrettini also beat Nick Kyrgios and Karen Khachanov in straight sets en route to his fourth ATP semifinal of the season.
"I'm really happy because I did other semifinals on the ATP Tour, but this is the first one on grass," Berrettini said. "Also, I didn't expect to feel like this: so confident, so focused on my serve and it's not easy coming from clay. So I'm really happy."
The Budapest champion has won seven of his last eight matches on German soil, including his run to the Munich final on clay last month where he lost to Cristian Garin in a third-set tie breaker.
"I think because I improved a lot on my strokes especially the backhand return," Berrettini said explaining his break-out season. "And you know when you feel more confidence from the baseline when you're returning you feel like you can win like every point and also you feel more relaxed when you're serving.
"Because you know you can break him and you can play every game. So I think this is the key. Also, the way I move on grass, I think I improved a lot."
Continuing his climb toward the Top 25, the 30th-ranked Italian will play German Jan-Lennard Struff for a place in Sunday's final. Struff broke once in each set stopping Lucas Pouille, 6-4, 6-4, to beat the Frenchman for the first time in four meetings and avenge a 2017 third-set tie-break loss in Stuttgart.
Struff is win less in six career ATP semifinals, but is coming off his first career Grand Slam fourth-round result at Roland Garros.