LONDON: It was a case of experience prevailing over youth at the Fever-Tree Championships on semi-finals day as Feliciano Lopez outlasted Next Gen star Felix Auger-Aliassime in three sets.
The 37-year-old Spaniard withstood some fierce play from his opponent, which featured 25 aces, to clinch the 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4, win in what was a clash of the generations. Not since 1977 has there been a final or semi-final match contested on the ATP Tour with a bigger age difference than the one that took place at Queen’s. Lopez is 18 years and nine months older than his opponent.
Nevertheless, age proved irrelevant in the 136-minute clash as the world No.113 held his nerve against the Canadian. Hitting 15 aces, 35 winners and saving all eight of the break points he faced.
“It’s a great win for me, Felix is a tough opponent. He served unbelievably during the whole match. I managed to return better as the match went on.” A delighted Lopez said during his on-court interview with the BBC.
“I’m so happy, I can’t believe I’m in the final here again. It’s crazy how we old guys can still perform well.”
With both players illustrating their potential on the court, the proceedings of their clash headed into a decider. Lopez, who won the tournament back in 2017, was the first to draw blood. Capitalizing on a lackluster service game by Auger-Aliassime, he broke to love on route to a 3-2 lead. Immediately his rival threatened to break back in the next game, but he managed to tame that threat posed with the help of a forehand shank from across the court. Closing in on 24th win at the Queen’s Club, four match points came and went thanks to some impressive resilience from Auger-Aliassime. It was on the fifth attempt when Lopez prevailed after hitting a delicate drop shot at the net.
“I feel very lucky to still be competitive at this stage of my career. I would never have imagined I could reach the final of Queen’s at 37 years old.” He said afterward.
Lopez’s win has denied his opponent the chance to break into the world’s top 20 on Monday. Nevertheless, the Canadian is already the youngest player to crack the top 25 since Lleyton Hewitt back in 1999. Auger-Aliassime also missed out on the chance to become the youngest Queen’s finalist since Boris Becker back in 1985.
France’s Gilles Simon will be Lopez’s opponent in the final. The Spaniard leads their head-to-head 5-2 and won their three most recent meetings since 2017. Two of those took place on the grass.
“I have a tough record against Feliciano, especially on grass. I lost the final against him in Eastbourne already.” Said Simon. “He’s a difficult player to beat on grass. He keeps the ball low. He has this huge serve that is giving him a lot of free points. And then he’s moving really well and covering well the court.’
“So it’s gonna be a physical match, also. And I hope I will be ready for that.”
Lopez is also playing in the doubles draw with Andy Murray. Their quarter-final match will follow later today.
