'His game is even more complete ': Felix Auger-Aliassime explains why US Open quarterfinal opponent Alex de Minaur is more dangerous than ever

Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime has highlighted what makes his US Open quarterfinal opponent, Alex de Minaur, a dangerous opponent. Both players are set to face in the last eight of the fourth and the final Grand Slam of the year on Wednesday.

Auger-Aliassime cemented his spot in the quarterfinal after beating Russia’s Andrey Rublev in the last-16 clash with a score of 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. On the other hand, De Minaur secured his spot in the last eight after securing a thumping win against Switzerland’s Leandro Riedi in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-2, 6-1.

Auger-Aliassime spoke to the press after the match, where he was asked about what makes his opponent, De Minaur, dangerous. In response to that, Auger-Aliassime stated that the 26-year-old’s movement on the court makes him a real threat and also highlighted that his new addition of ‘stepping onto the court’ makes him a real threat going forward.

“Well, his strengths were always his movement and is like a quality to keep the ball in play and to kind of like, you know, counter, you know, like this, let's say the speed of the player will play out and yeah, to just defend,” said Auger-Aliassime. “But what's been very interesting is that he's added also like stepping into the court a lot more. I think that's why he's in the position he's in today. Like he now has like very much the ability to step in as soon as you give him a chance, you know, and to come early in the court and to punish you. So that's why I like his game is even more complete than how it was in the past. And I think every player tries to improve, you know, and they all know, we all know in the locker room, like the strengths of players and what they need to improve. The question is like, can you improve, right? And he has. So that's why he's been consistently now in the top 10 for a bit of time.”

Auger-Aliassime’s win against Rublev was an important one, as he came into the match with a very head-to-head record against the Russian tennis star. In the eight meetings before Monday’s clash, Auger-Aliassime only managed to win one and suffered seven defeats. His only win over Rublev before Monday came way back in 2022 in Rotterdam in the semifinal. Discussing the impact of the result, Auger-Aliassime highlighted the significance of the win, particularly in light of his poor record against Rublev.

Good win, says Auger-Aliassime

“Well, yes. Good win, considering our head-to-head, considering how good he is as a player,” said Auger-Aliassime. “And then waking up this morning, I knew I played a great match last time, but you hope he doesn't play too good and that I can execute my game well. But I think once I settled into the match and I kind of like got back, I was down 4-2, 4-1, then got back to 4-all, I felt like, okay, I settled in and I felt much better about my chances from that moment on. I felt like I was putting a lot of pressure on him and then as I won the first set, I felt like I was in control of the match.”

The most significant aspect of Auger-Aliassime’s win was his aggression, which proved to be the difference between the two players. Auger-Aliassime registered 42 winners, 20 more than the Russian tennis star. Most of those winners came through his powerful forehand. Discussing his overall performance on the day, Auger-Aliassime noted that he played according to his strengths, which proved to be a decisive factor in the win. Auger-Aliassime also stated that his forehand has always been his strength and that the biggest change in his game over the years is that he now plays according to his own strengths.

“Well, it's [forehand] always been my strength, right? And then kind of my instinct growing up was to, like I'd rather the match to be in my hands,” said Auger-Aliassime. “Like I was never like a kid that was playing and like waiting for the mistake. And then sometimes it played against me, like I would miss plenty as a kid and then I had to kind of know how to use it well and to be, you know, precise and consistent. But it's the same, similar thing now at a higher level. Like sometimes I would miss with that shot and then you start questioning like, oh, am I going for too much? But I think what I did well today, like for example, at the start I missed a few, sprayed a few like kind of far, but then I believe that like, yeah, it's just a question of like time that I'm going to start hitting my targets. And once I did, then it became really difficult for him. Playing with my strengths has always been important. The serve, the forehand. So it was about making that more consistent and precise. And, you know, once I did that and once I do that, then I feel, you know, my best version on the court. And then as well, the return was always something I've wanted to improve. I always felt like I had the reaction time to do it. But it was like, OK, try to be precise with where you put it and try to make as many as possible because you can engage in rallies as much as possible and on the return games and then the backhand as well, being able to change direction, being able to defend there, kind of keep the guy, you know, further into the court and not play too short. So there's a couple of things, but for sure, like when I serve and hit the forehand the way I do, like that's how I win matches.”

Auger-Aliassime has struggled with fitness concerns throughout his career, particularly in the last three years, during which he has spent considerable time dealing with injuries and niggles. Talking about it, Auger-Aliassime stated that playing with confidence and full fitness has helped him achieve the results that previously seemed difficult.

“Well, throughout the years, like I didn't, I still had good moments,” said Auger-Aliassime. “Like even I was around, you know, 25, 30 in the world. Like it was not like I was losing all the time, but for sure there was like months where, yeah, like I was thinking, okay, what's my approach tactically with my game? Once I got, you know, the physical things, you know, kind of sorted out, it was like, okay, now I'm healthy again. Like how am I playing? And then, yeah, there were times where I was like, okay, am I going too, you know, too aggressive or too far or not? And then, but once like that is all clear in my mind and I can move well and feel confident with my choices, I do feel like there was also times like in the past years where I was playing the way I'm playing now with that level. For example, at the start of the year, I was playing well this year or last year at the Olympics or in Madrid when I played him in the finals. So there was other times. The challenge is just to, you know, to make that as consistent as possible.”