“I was almost perfect, I was really excellent today. It’s hard to find better words than those of Félix Auger-Aliassime to sum up his hasty victory at the expense of Briton Cameron Norrie, Thursday evening, on the center court of the IGA Stadium.
Posted at 6:19 p.m.
Updated at 8:42 p.m.
By winning in two sets of 6-3 and 6-4, the 22-year-old athlete became the first Quebecer of the modern era to reach the quarter-finals of the National Bank Open. All in just 1 hour and 12 minutes, in front of a crowd that only had eyes for him.
“It’s not every day that it happens, but I take advantage of it. I hope to continue this way for the rest of the tournament, ”launched the main interested party at a press conference.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
“This is one of my very good performances [de la saison], especially at this stage of the tournament, against players of this quality. A player like Norrie, who wins a lot of games every year now…”
Because yes, Auger-Aliassime still had in front of him the 11e world racket. The Quebecois had the upper hand in their first four meetings, but not in the last, which only took place a week ago; Norrie defeated him in the semifinals of the Los Cabos tournament last Friday.
In other words, the task was not easy. Even though she seemed to be.
Flamboyant in service
True to form, Auger-Aliassime was flamboyant in the service, multiplying the aces from the first games. He ultimately won 92% of his first balls in addition to hitting 15 aces… Who says better?
More and more, I know that I can be one of the very good servers on the circuit. Again today, I proved it.
Felix Auger-Aliassime
Auger-Aliassime nevertheless had a tough opponent in front of him, who also had a good start to the match. The tide really turned in favor of the Quebecer as he led 4-3 in the first set. After performing a superb game at the net, he completed a break of service allowing him to double his lead.
It was on this sequence that we got our first fist in the air, a sign that things were going as he wanted.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
“The two of us were really trying to impose ourselves, he explained. It was he who cracked a little at 4-3, with a very good point from me. It didn’t take much to turn on my side in the first set. »
Once the first round was in his pocket, the Quebecer was entitled to “ohé ohé ohé” assumed from the stands. In the second set, the crowd favorite seemed unwavering. At 4-4, he took advantage of three double faults from the Briton to go for another break of service. He then racked up four points in quick succession to win to thunderous applause.
Released
Even if Félix Auger-Aliassime claims to have never been “serene” that he was going to win in two sets, not for a single second did he seem nervous on the court. The Quebecer delivered a virtually flawless performance, with rock-solid confidence. Not once did we feel the slightest hesitation in his game.
“Once I got through the first game, like I did yesterday, it took a big weight off my shoulders, a lot of pressure,” he said.
The scenario where I come back here after three years, I want to play as many games as possible in front of Quebecers. It would have been a shame to go out in the first game.
Felix Auger-Aliassime
Now that he feels “liberated”, he can turn his attention to what’s to come for him in the next matches, as he does in a normal tournament, which is not taking place on his land.
The next game will be without a doubt Auger-Aliassime’s biggest challenge so far in the tournament: it will be against the fourth seed and 7e world racket in Casper Ruud. He knows, however, that he counts on an involved crowd, which will be behind him until the end.
“It’s really unique,” he admitted. I can’t find that anywhere else. I feel really lucky and privileged to have that kind of support here. That’s why I want to play as many matches as I can. »
“If I can play all week, that would be perfect! “, he concluded.