To put it mildly, Friday was not a good day for the Canadians in Basel.
Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov had a chance to set up an all-Canadian semifinal at the Swiss Indoors but not only will the matchup not happen, neither Canuck even made it to match point in their quarter-final. Auger-Aliassime retired after just one set against Jaume Munar while Shapovalov pulled out down a double break in the third set against Joao Fonseca.
Entering the contest on a six-match winning streak and with an eye towards a third title in Basel, Auger-Aliassime seemed to tweak something in his back and pulled out, without even taking a medical timeout, after Munar took the opening set 6-3.
Auger-Aliassime had reached the quarter-finals without dropping a set, including a win over compatriot Gabriel Diallo in the first round, and started the match on Friday well, holding a couple of break points in the third game. However, as he began to struggle with his back, Munar started getting into his service games. The Spaniard broke for a 3-1 lead and had multiple chances to make it a double break in a marathon sixth game.
Even though he managed to hold his serve the rest of the way, the Canadian decided it was not a good idea to continue after the first set.
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The quarter-final exit is a big blow to Auger-Aliassime's bid to qualify for the ATP Finals. He will not gain any ground on Lorenzo Musetti for the eighth and final qualifying spot and could even fall further behind as Musetti also reached the quarter-finals of Vienna and would create a bigger gap if he wins more matches this week.
Shapovalov lasted longer in his clash with the rising Brazilian star, making it to a third set before pulling out down 3-6, 6-3, 4-1.
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The Canadian No. 2 looked well on his way to the semis when he took the opening set and then had a triple break point opening to start the second. However, Fonseca started finding his range when he needed to most. The Brazilian saved those break points and eventually broke for a 3-1 lead.
As the match went along, Shapovalov did not appear to show any signs of physical pain, but his level was dropping while Fonseca was in the ascendancy. The Canadian managed to break back to get to 4-3 in the second set but from there, the 19-year-old dominated. He immediately reclaimed the break, winning six of the next seven games as he claimed the second set and went up a double break in the third.
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In the decider, the serve was struggling mightily for Shapovalov. He faced break points in all three of his service games, getting broken twice, and had four double faults in that short span. After surrendering the second break, the Canadian called it quits. He had struggled with his back the previous week in Stockholm and was seen stretching his leg at one point during the quarter-final in Basel.
Both Canadians will look to be healthy in time to compete at the final Masters 1000 event of the season next week in Paris.
Feature Photo : @swissindoorsbasel_official/@antoniovasquez11
