Felix Auger-Aliassime sounded extremely happy when asked to reflect on the performance he delivered versus Carlos Alcaraz in the Basel semifinal. On Saturday, Auger-Aliassime destroyed world No 1 Alcaraz 6-3 6-2 to reach the Basel final.
“So far it has been very close to perfect [in Basel]. I’ve been serving amazing, not getting broken once yet. There’s still one match to go, but it’s been a fantastic week, [I have] played some great tennis, and again today against the best player in the world.
It’s an amazing win, so I’m really happy with my level and hopefully I can go all the way,” Auger-Aliassime said after beating Alcaraz, per the ATP website.
Auger-Aliassime: I played great versus Alcaraz
Auger-Aliassime missed out on two break points in the fourth game but earned the first break of the match in the eighth game to open a 5-3 lead.
In the ninth game, Auger-Aliassime routinely served out for the first set. After winning the first set, Auger-Aliassime claimed an early second set break in the third game. Up by a set and a break, Auger-Aliassime broke Alcaraz again in the seventh game before serving out for the match in the following game.
“I played great again. Showing up and taking care of my serve, game after game. I think it was kind of a nervous start for both of us, but I think I was able to put a lot of pressure on [with my] second-serve return, and I think he felt that.
From that point I was able to get a lot of opportunities. [In the second set] I got a few free points, and was able to really use them well. In [World] No. 1 fashion, he came back with some great points, had a break point [in the final game] to come back a little bit. It was 0/30 on my serve, so those are good games to win”. Auger-Aliassime plays Holger Rune in the Basel final.
