Legendary Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi had a nice phrase to describe football. A game of inches. A game that is decided by a few inches. “And it’s the thumbs that make the champions,” he said.
Posted at 7:45 a.m.
It was also a few inches that allowed Félix Auger-Aliassime to defeat Yoshihito Nishioka, Wednesday evening, on the center court of Jarry Park. Final score: 7-6 and 6-4. But believe me, those two pairs of numbers don’t do justice to the tension that enveloped the IGA stadium in the first run.
The Quebecer attacked relentlessly. His bullets were heavy. Its services, above 200 km/h. The Japanese defended well. Very well even. His game forced Félix Auger-Aliassime to aim for the sidelines and the backline – with difficulty. The unforced errors piled up. A tiebreaker was needed.
Félix Auger-Aliassime took the lead 7-6. The two players then began a looooong exchange. The crowd, the birds, the flies, everyone fell silent. On his ninth hit, Nishioka attempted a rare attack. He aimed for the corner of the field, and hit it, with the precision of a sniper. We thought that would be enough. But no. Auger-Aliassime stretched his full length. 193 centimeters well counted.
The tip of his racket barely touched the ball. Without power. Nishioka came up to the net to finish him off. He placed the ball again, in the other corner this time. A blow that the Quebecer had anticipated. Auger-Aliassime punished him with a sensational backhand. A masterful arrow. A daredevil that Nishioka could only observe.
Thumbs make champions.
Point, game, Auger-Aliassime round.
The local hero, relieved, opened his arms and legs wide and offered himself to the jubilant crowd. He absorbed all his energy, like Superman regaining his splendor in front of the sun.
“At 6-6, it was not an easy situation,
he said. There was a lot of tension in the air. But it’s true that winning a round on a shot like that doesn’t happen often. In addition, here [à Montréal]. Instinct spoke. I really hit a magnificent shot, just at the right time. The noise [de la foule] was completely unique. I had no more energy. I exposed myself to the public and just enjoyed the moment. »
Imbued with the love and fervor of the public, Félix Auger-Aliassime raised his level of play in the following round. Yoshihito Nishioka continued to offer good resistance, but he lacked the power of his opponent. Nearly 40 km/h separated their services.
Auger-Aliassime finished the game with 17 aces.
Nishioka? None.
“In the second set, I felt I had more speed. That I was able to produce, ”explained the Quebecer. The end result encouraged him. Especially since after the unexpected defeats of Daniil Medvedev (1), Carlos Alcaraz (2) and Andrey Rublev (5) on Wednesday, Auger-Aliassime (6) is now one of the three favorites to win the tournament.
“The road is still very long,” he insisted on addressing the crowd. It’s true. His next opponent, Cameron Norrie, also beat him just last week in Mexico.
But this path exists. And Félix Auger-Aliassime knows that throughout the course, thousands of supporters will be by his side to support him, applaud him, comfort him and help him get up.
“If there is a tournament where I am ready to make an effort without limits, it is here, he confided. In the other tournaments too, I try to give my best effort. But the public here carries me, and I want to offer my best possible performance. »