MELBOURNE, Australia — Some 24 hours after Denis Shapovalov reached his first Australian Open men’s singles quarterfinal, his friend and countryman Félix Auger-Aliassime joined him in the final eight.

Auger-Aliassime overcame a fast and furious start by 2018 finalist Marin Cilic and held on tight until he could turn things around, in a 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2, 7-6 (4) victory on a steamy day in Melbourne that challenged even the fittest tennis players in the world.

Fellow Canadian Milos Raonic has reached the quarterfinals or better at the Australian Open five times.

But this is the first time two Canadians have done it in the same year. And it’s the second time in the last three Grand Slam tournaments that they have done it.

It’s also the third consecutive Grand Slam tournament in which Auger-Aliassime has reached at least the quarterfinal stage.