Jannik Sinner’s march to the US Open final has almost been robotic. Matches came and went as if Sinner was predestined to win them.
Therein lies the challenge for a resurgent Felix Auger-Aliassime. He needs to show the world that Sinner is only human. He too can lose. In other words, Auger-Aliassime will require courage and conviction in equal measure if he has to conquer Sinner. Anything less and the Italian world No. 1 will just be one match away from defending his title successfully.
Just how big is Auger-Aliassime’s task? Sinner is into the last-four riding a 26-match unbeaten run at the hard-court majors. On Wednesday, Sinner swatted aside 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in the first all-Italian men’s grand slam quarter-final.
While Auger-Aliassime seems to have rediscovered his spark, Sinner has simply been relentless.
The Canadian has authored three upset wins to return to the semis at a major for the first time since 2021. His explosive brand of tennis has worked so far. But it’s not power, only patience, which can help him triumph.
The 25-year-old stays relaxed ahead of one of the biggest matches of his career. “I mean, strengths and weaknesses... Jannik, not many strengths, huh? A lot of weaknesses in his game,” Auger-Aliassime joked.
“What to say about Jannik’s game? He’s been obviously untouchable at times… I need to play good tennis... regardless of tactically what I want to do,” Auger-Aliassime was quoted as saying by atptour.com.
In the quarter-final against a higher-ranked Alex de Minaur, Auger-Aliassime had 50 unforced errors. That almost negated his 51 winners. The Canadian feeds on his fearless approach, but needs to be more cautious against the clinical Sinner, who will pounce on any lapses.
Interestingly, Auger-Aliassime is ahead 2-1 against Sinner on the head-to-head count. The Italian, like always, was careful with his words while speaking about his opponent.
“He (Auger-Aliassime) had some big wins, so a big confidence boost for him. I feel like (anything) can happen,” said Sinner.
Sinner may say what he wants, but that he is an overwhelming favourite is a fact. Auger-Aliassime knows that, but he is fearlessly ambitious.
