On Thursday morning, Felix Auger-Aliassime signed the first victory of his career over the top five players. His 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory over German Alexander Zverev helped Canada reach the semi-finals of the ATP Cup, which was held in Sydney.
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“It was a good match for me,” Quebec agreed at a press conference. I can only be satisfied with the result. I think I’ve shown great things in my game and it’s going in the right direction.”
It was Denis Shapovalov who opened the ball to Germany, in this crucial showdown of the team’s competition.
fourteenthe The world has taken the measure of one of his stalkers, Jan-Lennard Struve, who has hit him so far five times in seven engagements.
After leaving the second set, Shabu recovered well for 51e ATP racket, win 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3.
“I felt all the energy of this victory and I carried it with me in my match,” Felix said. I played one of my best matches against [Zverev]. »
It was a big challenge for 11e my world. Zverev is one of the in-form players at the moment. His performances at the end of the season allowed him to break into the top three.
good feelings
But the 21-year-old was still satisfied with the German. Last year, he beat him after a long battle at Wimbledon and then lost a close match in Vienna.
Auger-Aliassime started the game strong and then, like Shapovalov, caused some horror by losing the second set.
But like his compatriot, he easily bounced back in third, securing himself the second victory of his career against Zverev.
“The whole team on the bench helped me stay positive, even though I thought I could finish the match in straight sets,” Felix noted. This is something that really helped me. It’s a team effort.”
It must be said that Canada has been accustomed to fear since the beginning of the competition. He started his tournament poorly by losing his first match 3-0 against the Americans.
In fact, the United States could have eliminated the Canadians’ chances of hitting four of the same kind. They were ahead of the British in the decisive doubles tiebreak, and a victory in that match would have eliminated Captain Felix’s team.
But Britain turned the tide, leaving the fate of Canada in its own hands.
In order to secure a place in the final, Auger-Aliassim, Shapovalov and their now compatriots will face powerful Russians, led by the world’s second-largest player, Daniil Medvedev, on Saturday.
“I believe in us,” Shapovalov said. Felix beat Zverev, who in my opinion is the best player at the moment. If he’s still playing like that, I think he can beat anyone.”