Félix Auger-Aliassime was a history maker at Roland-Garros on Monday.
The 25-year-old from Montreal defeated Torontonian-born Chilean Alejandro Tabilo 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 in the French Open fourth round, becoming the first Canadian singles player to reach the quarter-finals of every Grand Slam.
Auger-Aliassime put on a serving clinic, firing 17 aces and winning 80 per cent of his first-serve points. Tabilo was a tough customer behind his serve but the Canadian still managed to convert on five of six break points, including three-straight to book his ticket into the quarters in a little over two hours.
A sharp start from Auger-Aliassime soon paid off as the Canadian No. 1 held the match’s first break point at 30-40 in the fourth game. The 25-year-old couldn’t convert but had a second try after deuce, going on the attack to force the loss of serve. Auger-Aliassime then quickly erased break point with an ace at 3-1, 30-40, and backed up his break to increase his advantage.
Auger-Aliassime went on to comfortably clinch the first set, not conceding a point behind his serve the rest of the way as he won the opener for the first time this tournament.
The Montrealer was unable to get hold of Tabilo’s delivery since the break. The Chilean lost just four service points from when he was broken early in the first to the fifth game of the second. Auger-Aliassime stayed on pace with Tabilo though, working his way through three deuce games and saving a break point.
A break opportunity came the Canadian’s way in a crucial part of the set. At 5-5, Auger-Aliassime’s late pressure paid off, forcing the loss of serve before coolly serving out the second for the two-set lead.
The world No. 6 had some early openings to inch closer to the quarter-finals. Auger-Aliassime went up love-30 in his first two return games, holding double break point at 1-1, 15-40, and converting on the first attempt thanks to a backhand winner. The two-time US Open semifinalist consolidated with four-consecutive aces to go 3-1 in front.
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Auger-Aliassime kept on rolling, scoring a second-straight break and extending his service-point streak to 12 in a row to get within a game of the last eight.
At 1-5, 30-all, a Tabilo double fault gifted Auger-Aliassime match point. The Canadian clipped the baseline with a return winner to create Canadian tennis history and reach the Roland-Garros quarters for the first time.
Auger-Aliassime’s next test will be against tenth-seed Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday.
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Feature Photo: Martin Sidorjak
