1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
Is this the Fibonacci sequence?
The list of jerseys withdrawn by the Canadiens?
No. These are the ranks of the top seeds already eliminated at the National Bank Open. It’s more than a decimation, it’s a hecatomb. Almost unheard of, so early in a tournament. Not just in Montreal. Everywhere.
Here, a statistic that will blow your brain: the first three favorites (Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz and Stéfanos Tsitsipás) all lost their initial meeting. When was such a hasty elimination of the top three in an important tournament? In Indian Wells… in 1999. Félix Auger-Aliassime was not born.
It’s a shame for fans, forced to encourage players they know little about. Or not at all. Thursday night’s line-up was particularly thin: Marin Čilić against Tommy Paul, Jannik Sinner against Pablo Carreño Busta and Jack Draper against Gaël Monfils. Not super sexy. At least there was Monfils, you might say. It’s true. Except that the darling of the Montrealers had to give up at the start of the second set, due to an injury.
Gulp.
Fortunately, in the heart of the storm, a maple resists.
Felix Auger-Aliassime.
A chance that the Quebecer is in his form of the beautiful days. On its own, it’s worth the subscription for the week. Thursday, against Briton Cameron Norrie, Auger-Aliassime was “almost perfect”.
Am I exaggerating?
Please direct your reservations to him — these are his own words.
His serve was terrifying. He made 15 aces. His opponent ? None. 85% of his first balls have been placed in play. It’s remarkable, 20 points beyond his average this season. Even better: he won 36 of 39 points on his first serve. A ratio worthy of a match at the beginner level on the Xbox. And unlike the day before, against Yoshihito Nishioka, Auger-Aliassime managed to limit unforced errors to only 10.
In this 6-3, 6-4 victory against the 9e favourite, Félix Auger-Aliassime played like an elite player. As a title contender.
OK, let’s deactivate the emergency brake.
Like a champ.
If he can maintain the intensity, power and precision displayed in his game on Thursday, he can win this tournament. It is within reach, with the fall of the favorites and the absences of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
By the way, how does he explain the rout of the other favourites?
“Each year, he replies, we see certain tournaments in which the table opens. In which seeds fall very early. I think of the times when Cameron [Norrie] won at Indian Wells last year. »
“Montreal is the first tournament of the season on a hard surface for a lot of players. Especially among the favorites. I think of Carlos [Alcaraz]. Many players stayed in Europe to play on grass or clay. »
So there may be some surprises, it’s true. I have to take advantage of this opportunity, but my painting is really not easy.
Felix Auger-Aliassime.
His next duel is against Casper Ruud, the only higher-ranked player to survive elimination so far. “I saw him play [jeudi]. He played a match of a great level. He is a player who obviously plays very well on clay, but he also made a final this year on hard court. He becomes a very complete player. It will be a very good test to know where I am. »
The fact remains that among the quarter-finalists, Auger-Aliassime is doing very well. His stats on hard court this year compare favorably to those of his opponents.
HARD-SURFACE WINS PERCENTAGE*
- Nick Kyrgios: 81.3%
- Felix Auger-Aliassime: 70.8%
- Casper Ruud: 69.2%
- Hubert Hurkacz: 66.7%
- Pablo Carreno Busta: 64.3%
- Tommy Paul: 64.0%
- Daniel Evans: 55.8%
- Jack Draper: 50.0%
* Before the Montreal tournament
Source: ATP
Only Nick Kyrgios has a better record. Except that the Australian told us, after his victory on Thursday, that he was not quite on his plate this week. “I’m tired” he dropped, before specifying that he was still satisfied with his level of play.
Will Félix Auger-Aliassime take advantage of the opening offered to him?
The ball is in his court.