Photo : @WeAreTennis
A day after needing just 49 minutes to win his second-round match at the Swiss Indoors, Félix Auger-Aliassime only needed 71 to reach the semifinals in Basel with another straight-sets win.
In the quarter-finals, he maintained the high level of play that has seen the Canadian now win 11 matches in a row, blowing past Alexander Bublik 6-2, 6-3.
Bublik provided more resistance than Auger-Aliassime had faced in his previous match, but the Canadian was still at his big-hitting best, firing 31 winners and only committing four unforced errors.
His serve remained locked in as he won 88 per cent of his first serve points, only lost eight total points on serve and did not face a break point. He has yet to face a break point in the tournament. For the second day in a row, he hit more aces (10) than he lost points on serve (eight).
Picking up where he left off after his round two demolition of Miomir Kecmanovic, Auger-Aliassime broke to love to start the match.
At points in the first set, even Bublik look impressed with the way his opponent was smashing the ball, often offering a resigned shrug after one of Auger-Aliassime’s 17 winners in the first set. At 4-2, the Kazakhstani netted a desperate drop shot to give the Canadian triple break point and Auger-Aliassime fired a leaping smash winner to take the double break.
He promptly closed out the 30-minute opening set with a couple of big serves and a forehand winner.
While Bublik was able to put up more of a fight in the second set, self-inflicted wounds cost the Kazakhstani. At 2-2, Bublik hit back-to-back double faults from deuce to hand the break to Auger-Aliassime.
As has been the case through most of his winning streak, once the Canadian had the lead the result seemed inevitable. At times Bublik laughed audibly when his opponent hit incredible shots as Auger-Aliassime never gave him an opening to get back in the match.
In the end, he did not have to serve for the match as Bublik fired a forehand wide down match point on his own serve.
The Canadian will face his biggest challenge during the winning streak in the semifinals, where he meets world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.
Auger-Aliassime has won both previous meetings with Alcaraz, including last month at the Davis Cup in Spain.
