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Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime facing historic uphill battle in chase to win US Open

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
|
Sep 4 2025, 9:47 pm
Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime facing historic uphill battle in chase to win US Open
Geoff Burke/Imagn Image

Canadian tennis star Felix Auger-Aliassime is two wins away from his first Grand Slam title.

After a big run at the US Open that included a marathon four-hour quarterfinal match on Wednesday against Alex de Minaur, Auger-Aliassime is into the final four at one of the sport’s most coveted prizes. After other big wins over Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev, it’s arguably the best he’s ever looked on the big stage.

For the Montreal native, it’s his second shot at being two wins away from a major victory, also reaching the semifinals at the US Open back in 2021.

“I was more like, ‘Okay, what do I need to improve? What’s happening? Which areas do I need to improve? What changes do I need to make?’ And so that’s really what I was focused about,” Auger-Aliassime said when asked if he was ever worried about the four-year gap between his last Grand Slam semifinal.

Auger-Aliassimeā€™s run in this tournamentĀ will seeĀ a big increase in his live ranking, pushing him up 14 spots from world No. 27 to at least No. 13. The move helps him reclaim his spot as the top Canadian menā€™s singles player.

But his competition won’t exactly be easy the rest of the way.

On Friday night, he’ll be taking on world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, while world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz takes on tennis legend Novak Djokovic in the other semifinal. The 38-year-old Djokovic has won 24 career Grand Slams, compared to five for Alcaraz and four for Sinner.

At least one of the trio have won each of the last 13 Grand Slams, with each of them owning one of the last three US Open titles. Alcaraz and Sinner have personally combined for each of the last seven, dating back to the 2024 Australian Open.

Sinner has put up a remarkable 31-4 record this year, with three of his losses to Alcaraz. Alcaraz has gone 54-6, while Djokovic has gone 26-9, in comparison to 28-19 from Auger-Aliassime.

Whatever way you slice it, the Canadian is a clear odd man out among the four competitors.

Despite the long odds against Auger-Aliassime, Sinner had some kind words to say about the 25-year-old Canadian in his post-match press conference.

“It’s a big confidence boost for him,” Sinner said. “I feel like everything can happen. I always try to look on myself, and I’m very happy to be, you know, in the semis, of a Grand Slam again. And I feel like he has improved a lot. You know, even in one [week’s] time, you can make big adjustments, and I feel like he did that. And yes, it’s going to be a very, very difficult match for both of us.”

If Auger-Aliassime has one thing going his way, it’s that he’s bested Sinner twice before in their three matchups, though both those wins were under vastly different circumstances.

Auger-Aliassime beat Sinner twice in 2022 during the former’s run as a top-10 player, while a then-21-year-old Sinner had yet to reach his top potential.

The US Open men’s semifinals begin Friday at 12 p.m. PT/ 3 p.m. ET.

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