Columnist image

SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

| Archive

Back in 2011, Felix Auger-Aliassime attended the US Open as an 11-year-old fan and watched Andy Murray beat Feliciano Lopez in a third-round match under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium. 

"That was a big memory of mine," Auger-Aliassime recalled. "It's crazy to feel today there's not going to be a kid in the stadium watching, and it​ is actually going to be me playing."

Auger-Aliassime faces Murray in a second-​round match at the US Open on Thursday. They're second up in the night session on Ashe, following the match between Serena Williams and Margarita Gasparyan​ at 7 p.m. ET. You can watch it on TSN​3. 

"He hits a big ball," Murray said of Auger-Aliassime. "He moves well. I hit with him once only in Beijing last year. I think that was the only time I'd hit with him. He's getting up to the top of the game ... Yeah, he's developed fast."

But Auger-Aliassime is still looking for a signature win. He's lost in all five career ATP Tour finals he's played, and his only previous showdown against a member of the Big Four came last year in Madrid when he lost in straight sets to Rafael Nadal. Auger-Aliassime has never faced Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer. 

"You cannot buy this kind of experience," said Guillaume Marx, Auger-Aliassime's coach. "We are lacking a little bit of these matches compared to some players in this generation."

Nadal is sitting out the US Open this year due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, while Federer is sidelined for the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery.

It's the first time since the 1999 US Open that both Federer and Nadal have missed a major. So, opportunity knocks for someone in the bottom half of the draw where Auger-Aliassime is located. 

Auger-Aliassime, the No. 15 seed in New York, had never won a main-draw match at the US Open prior to Tuesday's gritty performance against the 83rd-ranked Thiago Monteiro.  

"I like that he played well in the big moments," Marx noted. 

Auger-Aliassime saved a set point in the third and multiple set points in the fourth en route to the 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 win.

"A bit of mental strength trying to stay in there," Auger-Aliassime said after the nearly four-hour match. "I felt like he played great tennis in the tiebreaks. That fourth set, it's the famous phrase of giving one more ball, throwing one more ball at your opponent. It paid off really well for me. That was the case. Yeah, a bit of luck and a bit of grit."

It was a confidence builder after Auger-Aliassime lost in a third-set tiebreak against Tennys Sandgren in the second round of the Western & Southern Open last week. He double-faulted 15 times in that match. That number was down to eight on Tuesday as Auger-Aliassime faced just two break points, saving both. 

"He quite obviously likes playing on the hard courts," Murray observed. "He's had some struggles with his serve at times. That's something that I'll look to capitalize on. But yeah, I mean, he's a top, top young player. He'll have an excellent, excellent career for sure. He's been really good since he was very young. I think physically he's a fantastic mover, good athlete."

Murray also produced a gutsy effort in the first round saving match point and coming back from two sets and a break down to defeat the 49th-ranked Yoshihito Nishioka.

"Definitely wasn't the best match that I've played," Murray told reporters after surviving in four hours and 39 minutes. "It was a pretty special one to get through really, because I didn't play my best. No one there watching. It was a long match, five-setter, first one I played in a long time. Great effort to get through."

This is Murray's first major appearance since the 2019 Australian Open when it seemed like his career may be done due to a hip injury. 

"He's a great champion," said Auger-Aliassime. "I'll be expecting the best from him next match. I don't want to put into my head or consider that because of the injuries or because of the surgeries he's had, the comeback he's made, that this puts me in an advantage or makes a difference on the outcome of the match. I'm going to prepare myself for a battle. I'm going to expect the best from him. Obviously we're all glad to see him back. I watched the whole way of his recovery. It's good to see him playing good again and healthy. It's an honour for me to face up with a guy like Andy."

Murray is currently ranked No. 115 and hasn't advanced past the second round at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon in 2017, but he's still a three-time Grand Slam champion and he's rarely an easy out. 

The first round was only the latest example of the 33-year-old Brit grinding out a match when he didn't have his best stuff. It’s a quality the greatest champions seem to share. 

"Andy Murray is an incredible competitor," said Marx. "It’s outstanding. I watched the beginning of his match and to come back and win like this, it’s incredible. The strength of Murray is he just knows how to win matches and this experience is going to be a challenge for Felix to match. He’s competing and willing to win so much ... Felix will just have to expect a tough match and be ready for anything." 

Auger-Aliassime has never been past the third round at a Grand Slam. His talent is undeniable, and the sense is his breakthrough could come at any time, despite the fact he just turned 20 last month. 

Thursday night could be a big moment in Auger-Aliassime's development. 

"You have to think he's the favourite considering how Murray got through his first round," said retired Canadian doubles star Daniel Nestor. "Both these guys are ready to engage in long rallies and I think that favours Felix considering Andy played a really tough first round. We saw what happened when Andy played some tough matches in Cincinnati and Milos [Raonic] blew him away."

Murray seems to relish facing the younger generation. At the Western & Southern Open last week, he beat 22-year-old Frances Tiafoe and 23-year-old Alexander Zverev in tight three-set matches before falling 2-6, 2-6 to Raonic.

"It's not going to be easy for Felix," Nestor said, "but I think, if I was betting, I would say he's got a really good chance."