After a season of misery, Félix Auger-Aliassime has found his bearings. The Quebecer was crowned in Basel with a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) victory against Pole Hubert Hurkacz in the final.
Auger-Aliassime thus defends his title obtained in Switzerland in 2022, the last one he had on his record.
“I’m definitely back,” he said on the field after his victory.
The player ranked 19e in the world had to deal with an injury to his left knee for a good part of the season. From April to October, he had a long streak of 11 defeats in 14 games. A sequence which includes two defeats in the first rounds of Roland-Garros and Wimbledon.
“Since I was a child, I always had the conviction that I could be a top player,” Auger-Aliassime continued. But there were a lot of doubts this year, because of my performances. I’m glad I was able to prove to everyone that I still belong [à l’élite], that I am one of the best players in the world. I can play at this level, I never doubted it, but it’s good to be able to confirm it on the pitch. »
However, he reveals that he has not yet completely recovered from his injury, mentioning in passing that he needs “painkillers and other things like that” and this, “even today”.
PHOTO PIERRE ALBOUY, REUTERS
Felix Auger-Aliassime
“It’s been a difficult year in general, which means that [ce titre] is particularly special. Even more than last year. »
The last hope banana
In the first set, Auger-Aliassime had the upper hand over Hurkacz, both in the eye test and in terms of statistics. The Quebecer was almost perfect in his service. But the Pole did enough to push his opponent to the limit.
In the first tiebreaker, Hurkacz appeared to suffer a left leg injury on the mini-break of the 4-3 won by the eventual winner. Auger-Aliassime concluded this first set without looking back afterwards.
PHOTO FABRICE COFFRINI, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Hubert Hurkacz
The second round therefore began with a gray cloud above the Pole’s head. He continued to fight well, but each point resulted in a grimace of pain on his part. In the middle of the engagement, RDS mentioned that Hurkacz asked the official for a banana, probably to get the potassium needed to treat the ailment that was inside him.
He then took his game up a notch, trying to play short rallies. Up front, FAA wanted to opt for the strategy of making their opponent run as much as possible.
At 5-5 in the second set, the Quebecer obtained two drool-worthy break points, his fourth and fifth of the match. But he couldn’t convert them, just like the first three.
Once again, we had to go to the tiebreaker to decide between the two opponents. After trailing 0-2, Auger-Aliassime found his way, winning the next four points, to finally end the match with a very nice first ball.
The point of victory was also a reflection of his match. He won 93% of his points on his first serve, then 79% on his second. He had 13 aces, compared to 12 for Hurkacz.
Certainly, Auger-Aliassime faced a diminished opponent for half of this meeting. But he played with renewed confidence. As a frustrating season comes to an end, this victorious journey in Switzerland allows the Quebecer to get off to a good start.
Theoretically, the Montrealer will not have much time to enjoy this title defense, since he is on the schedule starting Monday at the Paris-Bercy tournament.