Italian Open | Auger-Aliassime held back in trench warfare

Impressive since the start of the week, Félix Auger-Aliassime faced Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals in Rome on Friday. The Quebecer offered a sizeable opposition, but the best player in the world finally won in two sets of 7-5 and 7-6.

Nicholas Richard
The Press

The two players had never faced each other before. There was therefore no history or referent. Probably a good thing for Auger-Aliassime, who had his chances. After all, Djokovic stumbled last week in Madrid losing to 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz. The Serb was therefore fallible and the Quebecer has already proven that he could compete with players of this caliber.

Although he has had a rocky season since his title in Rotterdam in February, the 21-year-old athlete had shown great things on Italian clay.

He continued this momentum from the first set. Auger-Aliassime never seemed intimidated or impressed by Djokovic’s stature. Up to 4-3 in favor of the favorite, the match was fiercely contested. However, the world number one managed the first break of the set. Nevertheless, it was misunderstanding FAA to believe that he was going to let himself be pushed around. As the winner of 20 grand slam titles served for the round, it was Auger-Aliassime who broke his opponent.

The only other break in the set was crucial, at 6-5, since the Quebecer committed three unforced errors on the last play of the set, including a missed drop shot which seemed to affect him. The Serb grabbed the first set.

It is nevertheless a confident Félix Auger-Aliassime and in full possession of his means who came out of this first round with the certainty of being able to equal, or even surpass at times, the joker’s level of play. Everything worked, apart from his second serves, which Djokovic returned with power and precision.

The story of the second round was similar to the first.

Auger-Aliassime put on a great show and inspired game at the start of the set. His holding on his first serves was breathtaking and worthy of the best players in the world, most certainly.

The match took a different turn when it was broken at 3-2. From that moment, Djoko was in the car. Nevertheless, FAA was relatively effective in this regard, saving three break points with an ace, a serve-volley sequence and a service winner. However, the fourth was good for the Serb.

The Quebecer tried to survive for the rest of the set and saw renewed life on serve, at 5-2, when he saved match point with a huge forehand serve from Djokovic, then breaking it in the next game at 5-3.

Both attackers made it to the tiebreaker. They offered a spectacle of a gigantic quality. Trench warfare. Like at the Colosseum. Sensational shot variety. Breathtaking journeys. The clay court made these two gladiators slide at will.

Djokovic’s experience and bite proved him right in this high-intensity duel. The game was played with few things, ended under thunderous applause and a hug felt between the two players. Djokovic had just found someone his size and his name is Félix Auger-Aliassime.

Dabrowski, only Canadian to pass

There were three other Canadian players in action in Friday’s quarter-finals in Rome.

In women’s doubles, Gabriela Dabrowski was the only representative of the maple leaf to earn a place in the semi-finals, thanks to a victory of 7-5, 2-6, 10-5 with her partner Giuliana Olmos. The duo would like to win a second title in a row, after the one acquired in Madrid last week.

In the morning, Bianca Andreescu faced a huge challenge: Iga Swiatek. The highest ranked player and winner of four consecutive tournaments is the player to beat on the circuit right now. The Canadian held her end admirably in the first set, but she missed it at the score of 7-5. Swiatek won the next one by shutout.

For his part, Denis Shapovalov was extremely combative against fifth-seeded Casper Ruud. The Canadian was very solid and uninhibited despite his difficult season and the fact that he was facing one of the best on clay. He eventually lost the match in straight sets 7-6, 7-5.