Auger-Aliassime will have to settle for nice-guy award, but there’s more coming
NEW YORK—Grand Slam finals that Daniil Medvedev has won: Zero. Grand Slam finals that Félix Auger-Aliassime has won: Zero.
That’s about the only stat where the two men are equals.
But, of course, the Russian will get his third shot at a championship on Sunday. He’s a two-time runner-up.
While the Canadian, well, there will doubtless come a day … Not here, though, at the U.S. Open, not in 2021, where he became the first Canadian men’s singles semifinalist in the tournament’s 140-year history.
The contingent of Canucks in singles plays still alive in Flushing Meadows was cut in half on Friday afternoon. Auger-Aliassime, the 21-year-old from Montreal, won’t be joining Leylah Fernandez, the 19-year-old from Montreal, in a final.
He will have to comfort himself for now with a character trophy instead — presented an hour after his 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 defeat with the U.S. Open Sportspersonship Award, invested upon a male and female athlete who best exemplifies role model qualities on and off the court.
Very nice, for a well-spoken young man who has done his country and his sport proud, well-known to be exceedingly popular among players. Handing him the trophy, tournament director Stacey Allaster said, consolingly: “At least you’re going home with some silver.”
Going home a shade too early all the same, though.
“I think Daniil was the better player today,” Auger-Aliassime told reporters at his post-match press conference. “I mean, it still shows things that I can improve in every aspect of my game. I
had to play my best level and even better if I wanted to get a chance to win today. I didn’t do it long enough.”
Auger-Aliassim took a crushing crash-out at Arthur Ashe Stadium, dusted by Medvedev in straight sets, bringing to a somewhat wincing conclusion what had been a splendid fortnight of tennis. Against the world No. 2, however, FAA, seeded 12th and by every prognostication a future major champion — his NextGen bona fides already buffed — trembled on the brink of opportunity, his relative inexperience on the biggest of stages exploited by a ruthless opponent who’s been on a formidable roll.
Through a 38-minute opening set, all that separated them was a single break point in Medvedev’s favour. They weren’t going quite stride for stride, the Russian cruising through his dominating service
games and cracking winners while Auger-Aliassime wobbled and struggled, perhaps nervous in this glaring spotlight. Yet Auger-Aliassime settled himself down quickly enough and was the superior player in the second frame, had the set on his racket to level the match after breaking Medvedev in the sixth game, gifted a double fault; igniting the crowd with a backhand passing-shot winner, pumping his fist on the break as a definitely Canadian-partisan audience roared its appreciation.
He seemingly had all the momentum in the world, and then he faltered. Ahead 5-3, serving for the set. An overanxious double-fault at 30-30 but set point anyway at 40-30. Twice it went to deuce. Twice Auger-Aliassime squandered set point. A drop shot that Medvedev pounced upon with a forehand winner and breakpoint chance, a backhand sprayed long from the baseline by Auger-Aliassime, and a dramatic turnaround unfolded.
It was obvious on the changeover that Auger-Aliassime was stunned. His body language spoke of dismay. At breakneck pace, Medvedev held serve at 5-5, broke Auger-Aliassime at 6-5 to love — a disastrous service game for the Canadian — and served out the set handily 7-5, with his 11th ace. After facing those set points, Medvedev had won 15 of the last 17 points and five straight games from 2-5. Who knows what might have happened with a different result in that crucible of game nine? Medvedev would later say so himself.
“Second set defined the match because I was really close to losing it. Many times you’re going to lose a break against such an opponent as Félix — he had set points on serve — you’re going to lose a set. We can never know now how the match would go. Could be completely different story, being one set all. Would be the first time for me in the tournament.”
He hasn’t dropped a set. “I think he started doubting,” said Medvedev, who next faces Novak Djokovic on Sunday after his five-set victory over Alexander Zverev in the other semifinal Friday. The topseeded Djokovic will be seeking to become the first man to win all four major tournaments in the same year since Rod Laver in 1969. “For sure it stayed in his mind this game, so he started missing. I started putting more pressure. The match turned around. That was the key point.”
Best not to say much about the third set, with a palpably dispirited Auger-Aliassime sliced and diced to 5-1, his legs losing zip, his entire presentation flat versus Medvedev’s brutal efficiency. He’d manage one more hold serving to stay in the match. But it ended, almost mercifully, on a Medvedev smash after two hours and three minutes.
He’s never come back from two sets down. But these are still early days, early years. When the new rankings come out on Monday, Auger-Aliassime is projected to rise to No. 11 from No. 15. He made the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, the semifinal here — those are tremendous milestones. His star is rising at supernova speed. And he’s got such a beautiful game. He will ripen.
There is immense satisfaction to be taken from his acquittal here. This loss will quicken his hunger for triumph — AugerAliassime hasn’t even won a title on the ATP Tour yet — and he will learn from it.
“First of all, now it’s tough to lose. At the same time, I’ve always tried to accept the reality in my career. As much as I would have wanted to win today, I didn’t. Now I need to accept the reality, which is I lost. I can do better and for sure I will.”
Had anyone told him, at the beginning of the year, that he’d progress so far at a pair of majors — OK, he would have believed it. Self-belief is critical to success.
“The whole season, actually, I felt like I was playing good.” Showing his mettle especially on the clay-court swing in Europe, his game sharpened under the tutelage of consulting coach Toni Nadal, time spent training at Rafael Nadal’s academy in Mallorca.”
Not quite always getting the results I wanted to, but kept believing that I was playing good tennis, kept pushing. Now I feel like I’m in the position that I wanted to be at the start of the year.
“It’s good for sure, it’s great.” Wistfully: “A final would have been even better.”