Felix Auger-Aliassime's run at the US Open is over.
The Canadian fell in the semifinals on Friday to World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2.
Being one win away from the US Open final, Auger-Aliassime didn’t mince words about the disappointment he felt in the moment.
“It's tough to lose,” Auger-Aliassime said after the match. “I had to play my best level and even better if I wanted to get a chance to win today. I didn't do it long enough.”
Auger-Aliassime had to deal with Medvedev’s dominant serve for the majority of the match. The No. 2 seed served at a clipping rate of 70 percent, winning 80 percent of his first serve points while recording 12 aces. Auger-Aliassime spoke about the precision of Medvedev’s serve and commended the Russian’s ability to convert during big points of the match.
“He didn't give me many openings,” Auger-Aliassime said of Medvedev’s serve. “Against a player like that, you don't really have room for mistakes, room for losing your focus, which I did at the end of the second. He took advantage of it and I didn't get another chance after that.
Auger-Aliassime is referring to the critical game in the match, when the Canadian was up 5-3, serving for the second set. With two set points, Auger-Aliassime committed untimely unforced errors. Medvedev took advantage, winning the next four games to take the second set, 7-5.
“I felt like up 5-2, I was playing as good as I could play, coming in when I needed to, mixing up with serve and volleys,” Auger-Aliassime said.
“It's just unfortunate I couldn't close out the second set. I felt like, yeah, I was playing good. It would have been tough after to win even two other sets. At least if I gave myself a shot, it would have been more satisfying.”
“Now it's time to rest and get back to work. That's all I can do really. But, of course, it's a positive week. It could have been different. In the end things are moving in the right direction.”
Despite losing in the semifinal, Auger-Aliassime can hold his head high with a fantastic tournament. Coming into the US Open, he had never made it past the Round of 16. The Canadian showed tremendous fight in his first-round match, beating qualifier Evgeny Donskoy in four sets, three of them tiebreakers. In the third round, Auger-Aliassime was up two sets to none on Roberto Bautista Agut. The Spaniard fought back to force a fifth set. However, the Montreal native found a way to prevail, as he did in the Wimbledon Round of 16 against Alexander Zverev.
Arguably Auger-Aliassime’s most impressive match came in the Round of 16 against American Frances Tiafoe. With the crowd supporting the American, Auger-Aliassime never let a bad shot or an unforced error bother him. He raised his level of play to win the third-set tiebreaker, en route to winning in four sets, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6), 6-4. Auger-Aliassime showcased his best serving of the tournament, converting 83 percent of his first serve points.
With 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz forced to retire in the quarterfinals, it propelled Auger-Aliassime to his first career Grand Slam semifinal. He became the first Canadian man to reach the US Open semifinal in the Open Era.
“As much as I would have wanted to win today, I didn't,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Now I need to accept the reality, which is I lost. I can do better, and for sure I will.
“Now it's time to rest and get back to work. That's all I can do really. But, of course, it's a positive week. It could have been different. In the end things are moving in the right direction.”
For Auger-Aliassime, his entire 2021 season is a step in the right direction. At the Australian Open, he reached the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time. Then, at Wimbledon, he reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal. Now, the US Open semifinal. For the 21-year-old, these experiences are stepping stones toward achieving more success later in his career.
“The whole season actually I felt like I was playing good,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Not quite always getting the results I wanted to, but kept believing that I was playing good tennis, kept pushing. Now I feel like I'm in the position that I wanted to be at the start of the year.”
Auger-Aliassime will be 11th in the ATP Rankings on Monday. There’s still a lot of tennis left in the season for the young Canadian, which includes representing Team World at Laver Cup, BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells and a push for the ATP Next Gen Finals in Milan.
“I think now making the semifinals here, I've put myself in a good position to attain this goal,” Auger-Aliassime said.
The 2021 US Open is only the beginning for Auger-Aliassime. Given his abundance of self-belief, it won’t be the last time the Canadian plays big matches in Flushing Meadows.
“I feel like I deserve to be in that position. I work for that. Now I need to keep pushing in the right direction so I go even a little bit higher.”
