Canadian rising star Felix Auger-Aliassime has said he is ‘privilege’ to be compared with some of the biggest names in the world in tennis as his fairytale run at the Miami Open continues.
The 18-year-old qualifier has become the youngest player in the history of men’s tennis to reach the semi-finals of the Miami Masters. He achieved the milestone with a 7-6(3), 6-2, win over 11th seed Borna Coric on Wednesday. Playing in the main draw of a Masters 1000 event for only the fifth time in his career, Auger-Aliassime fired eight aces and broke his opponent three times on route to the shock victory.
“Borna has been established for a few years now and I definitely didn’t expect to win.” The world No.57 told reporters afterwards.
“I expected more of a set like in the first, but in the second it really surprised me. I felt like I had a margin over him, a bit of an edge and I felt comfortable out there from the first ball.”
A former teenage tennis prodigy, Auger-Aliassime has managed to break through on the professional tour this season. In February he reached his maiden ATP Final at the Rio Open, which is categorised as an ATP 500 event. Then in Indian Wells, he scored his first top 10 scalp after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets.
It is however at Miami, where he has achieved his biggest milestone yet. The Canadian is only the second qualifier to reach the semi-finals after Guillermo Canas back in 2007. He is also the fourth youngest Masters semi-finalist since 1990.
“I think I’m serving well, so it’s really putting pressure on them (other players).” Auger-Aliassime commented on the development of his game. “With all the matches I’ve played, it brings confidence for the end of matches like this (against Coric) when it’s tight.”
Along with the surge in success, comes the inevitable comparisons. The last teenagers to progress to the last four in Miami were Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray back in 2007. He has already received a lot of praise from his rivals on the tour, including Roger Federer.
“I like his attitude. For someone who is young like him, it’s impressive, we’ve seen it in the past with [Lleyton] Hewitt or [Rafael] Nadal, guys who are already mentally strong.” Federer told Radio Canada last week.
“I think we can put him a bit in that category.”
It could be easy for the youngster to get caught up in all the hype. He is one of three rising stars raising the profile of Canadian tennis. Along with Denis Shapovalov and Bianca Andreescu. Describing the reactions he has received as ‘pretty crazy.’ Nevertheless, Auger-Aliassime has developed a good level of maturity at such a young age.
“It’s a privilege to be compared to all of these great players and it shows I’m doing the right things and is on the right track. Right now, I’m just enjoying every day, every match because you never know what is going to happen next.”
Despite his young age, Auger-Aliassime also boast a perfect 5-0 winning record against top 20 opposition. Besides Coric and Tsitsipas, he has also scored wins over Lucas Pouille, Fabio Fognini and Nikoloz Basilashvili.
“A lot of things are working. I’ve just been improving in the last couple of weeks.” He said.
“I don’t want to look back right now. I think I maybe will do at the end of the tournament.’
“I’m looking forward to the next match and how far I can go in this tournament.”
The next challenge for the Next Gen star comes in the form of defending champion John Isner, who defeated Roberto Bautista Agut in his quarter-final match. Isner is seeking to become only the fifth man in history to win back-to-back Miami titles. Following in the footsteps of players such as Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.
“I think I’ll have to adjust my return position. Look at his match (against Roberto Bautista Agut) to see how he played today, where he likes serving on important points. From there focus myself, what I have to do, and then figure out a way to break him.” Auger-Aliassime said of playing Isner.
Starting 2019 ranked outside the top 100, Auger-Aliassime has also become the first ATP player born in the 2000s to crack the top 30. As it currently stands, he is projected to rise to the mid or low 30s in the rankings next week. Although, he could break inside the top 30 by reaching the Miami final and even the top 20 if he wins the title.
The men’s semi-final matches will be played on Friday.
