By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, June 21, 2019
18-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas, 7-5, 6-2, becoming the youngest Queen's Club semifinalist since Lleyton Hewitt in 1999.
@Queens Tennis Fever-Tree Championships
Dashing into the doubles alley, Felix Auger-Aliassime lashed a backhand winner down the line for match point, celebrating the strike with a smile.
Facing Stefanos Tsitsipas puts the 18-year-old Canadian in a happy place.
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Playing with poise under pressure, Auger-Aliassime denied all seven break points he faced maintaining his mastery of Tsitsipas, 7-5, 6-2, to roar into his fifth semifinal of the season.
The eighth-seeded Auger-Aliassime has not dropped serve in three wins becoming the youngest Queen's Club semifinalist since an 18-year-old Lleyton Hewitt made the final four 20 years ago.
Continuing his quest for his first career ATP title, Auger-Aliassime will play either sixth-seeded compatriot Milos Raonic or 2017 champion Feliciano Lopez for a spot in Sunday's final.
The top-seeded Tsitsipas has rocketed up the rankings with an ATP-best 34 wins, including tournament titles at Estoril and Marseille, but he just can't quite solve the puzzle his former junior rival presents. Auger-Aliassime won all three of their junior meetings, including a straight-sets win in the 2016 US Open boys' semifinals, and has beaten Tsitsipas in both of their pro meetings after posting a 6-4, 6-2, sweep in Indian Wells in March.
Though he's 15 spots higher in the rankings than the 21st-ranked Canadian, Tsitsipast says Auger-Aliassime is a better player.
"He's the most difficult opponent I've ever faced," Tsitsipas said afterward. "He has one of the best returns on the tour. He has a really powerful, accurate serve, which is tough to read. He's really quick and fast, which is rare to find all of that combinations together, combined. Big forehand, big backhand. He can create a lot of opportunities from his backhand, but also, at the same time, he can be very aggressive from the forehand side.
"There's not much to come up with when you play against him. He's pretty much solid from everywhere."
Auger-Aliassime explains his dominance of this rivalry simply: He is comfortable against the sixth-ranked Greek's shots.
“For some reason my game style fits well with his,” said Auger-Aliassime. “I just feel like he doesn't have a lot of openings when I play him. I guess that's maybe what he feels as well.”
This blockbuster battle between NextGen Stars played out differently than their Indian Wells meeting at the start.
The Australian Open semifinalist gained double break point in the third game. Auger-Aliassime came up with a clever drop volley winner to deny the second break point, eventually holding with an ace for 2-1.
Through the first 11 games, Tsitsipas had more opportunities to break serve.
In the 12th game, Auger-Aliassime made the most of his chance.
Serving at 15-30, the lanky Greek moved up quickly to a drop volley and lined up an easy forehand, but Tsitsipas tightened up and scattered that shot wide to face double set point.
The world No. 6 saved the first, but Auger-Aliassime pounced on a mid-court ball and cranked a crosscourt forehand that a diving Tsitsipas could not control.
The 18-year-old Canadian capped the 52-minute opener playing more assertively.
That painful end to the opening set was a prelude of second-set struggles for Tsitsipas, who dropped his opening service game of the second set.
After Auger-Aliassime held for 3-0, Tsitsipas took a medical timeout for treatment of an apparent right shoulder strain then held at 15. Exerting pressure in the fifth game, Tsitsipas earned four break points.
Unfazed by his predicament, Auger-Aliassime fended off all four break points holding for 4-1.
Playing on a career-high ranking of No. 21, Auger-Aliassime broke again in the final game banging that backhand down the line for match point then sealing it with a twisting return as Tsitsipas slipped on the lawn.
It's the second straight match where Auger-Aliassime broke in the final game following his three-set triumph over 2018 semifinalist Nick Kyrgios yesterday.
Daniil Medvedev broke serve four times, including in the opening game of both sets, powering past Diego Schwartzman, 6-2, 6-2, a day after the Argentine baseliner upset defending champion Marin Cilic.
The 13th-ranked Russian, who arrived in London mired in a four-match losing streak, improved to 28-12 reaching his sixth semifinal of the season.
Aiming for his first final since bowing to Dominic Thiem in Barcelona in April, Medvedev will meet the winner of today's all-French quarterfinal between Gilles Simon and Nicolas Mahut in tomorrow's semifinals.