Félix Auger-Aliassime delivered in his long-awaited Quebec City homecoming, defeating Frenchman Quentin Halys 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3 to give Canada a 2-0 lead in its best-of-five Davis Cup second-round tie against France at the Videotron Centre on Friday.
Auger-Aliassime fired 12 aces and took advantage of six double faults from Halys to secure the victory in front of 10,633 mostly partisan fans.
“It’s a big relief,” Auger-Aliassime said. “There’s a lot of emotions after so much anticipation for this match over many months. It’s a great way to begin, but it’s just the start. It’s a step in the right direction, but nothing has been decided yet.”
The victory improved Auger-Aliassime’s Davis Cup record to 14-4, including an 11-2 mark in singles. The world No. 5 has now won 13 consecutive Davis Cup matches, including nine straight in singles.
The 26-year-old was competing in the Davis Cup for the first time in two years and representing Canada in his home province for the first time.
“It’s a dream to play here, I’ve said it many times,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I have to thank everyone behind the scenes. It would not be possible without the entire team, the staff, Tennis Canada and the province of Quebec.”
After both players held serve throughout the opening set, Auger-Aliassime edged Halys in a tight tiebreak when the Frenchman sent a cross-court shot long.
Halys responded by breaking Auger-Aliassime early in the second set and held on to force a decider. But three consecutive double faults from Halys in the fourth game of the final set gave the Canadian the opening he needed.
Auger-Aliassime held on from there, serving out the match to put Canada within one victory of advancing to the Davis Cup Final 8 in Bologna, Italy, in November.
“I know Quentin’s qualities for a long time, especially in these conditions where his service game becomes an even bigger weapon for him,” said Auger-Aliassime. “He was really good, except for one game in the third set. I was able to take advantage, but if not for that, we’d probably have played a third-set tiebreak.”
Canada took the opening point of the tie earlier Friday when Liam Draxl produced a major upset, defeating world No. 31 Arthur Rinderknech 6-2, 7-5.
Draxl, a Newmarket, Ont., native ranked outside the top 200, played aggressively from the outset and earned his fourth Davis Cup singles victory in as many appearances.
“I’m just super proud of how I managed myself out there, getting the crowd into it and handling the big points appropriately,” Draxl said. “I really went for it.”
Draxl described the victory as “the biggest win” of his career.
“I feel like I thrive in the team environments,” he said. “I feel like it’s just what I’m meant to do; play for teams, for college, for your country. It just comes very natural to me feeding off the energy. I think it brings some of my best tennis out.”
Canadian captain Frank Dancevic added Draxl’s performance could have significance beyond the Davis Cup tie.
“Liam has had some really good matches in the past couple years, but today he really showed his worth and the level he can play,” Dancevic said. “From the first point to the last point, he had unbelievable energy. He played great tennis.
“It’s great for us because we won, but it’s also great for him to show that he can beat these players. It’s something that can give him confidence for his career.”
France now faces a difficult task, needing to win three consecutive matches Saturday to capture the tie.
“It’s the worst-case scenario that we could have tonight,” France captain Paul-Henri Mathieu said. “There’s disappointment in trailing 2-0. The guys gave everything they had on the court.”
Saturday’s schedule begins with doubles, where Auger-Aliassime is committed to partnering with Duncan Chan against Benjamin Bonzi and Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
Auger-Aliassime said he will play the doubles match, despite his team’s 2-0 lead.
“We’re going to do everything in our power to keep the lead we worked hard to build tonight and try to win this 3-0,” Auger-Aliassime said. “At the same time, I’m expecting a big response from France. A team with that much talent and their backs against the wall are going to respond and we have to be ready.”
The reverse singles matches — Auger-Aliassime against Rinderknech and Draxl against Halys — will follow the doubles, if necessary.
