MONTREAL—Felix Auger-Aliassime stepped to the baseline, slid a slice serve into the ad court and forced fellow countryman Vasek Pospisil into a backhand error to take the first set of his first-ever Rogers Cup match in his hometown. He sped through the 6-2 frame in just 31 minutes and then snail-paced his way back to his chair on the sidelines like he was taking a casual stroll through the park, like playing in front of friends and family on the court he developed his game on was no big deal, and like everything was going to pan out exactly as he had envisioned it would back when he was an eight-year-old patron at this tournament.
And that’s precisely when everything in the match got harder for the 18-year-old. He began spraying returns wide, he juiced some long, and he barely got his racquet on some others. He double-faulted four times in the second set alone, and he allowed Pospisil an opportunity to seize control.
Pospisil, who was playing in just his second match on the ATP Tour since undergoing a microdiscectomy to repair a herniated disc in his back in January. Pospisil who, because of a bone bruise in his left wrist, was forced to run around his backhand or hit one-handed slices rather than his usual top-spin two-handers on that side. Pospisil, who entered the match ranked 210th in the world, which is as low as he’s been since he was 212th in 2011.
Considering all of that, it’s undeniable Auger-Aliassime made life a little harder on himself than he had hoped to on Tuesday.
But it was how the kid wrestled back control, how he showed determination and resolve with his back against the wall that gave everyone watching a glimpse of what he’s all about. It’s that resolve, along with his powerful ground strokes, his strong return game and his pristine movement, that allowed him to grind out a 6-2, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (3) win on Tuesday. And it’s that resolve (again, coupled with his versatility) that has former and current tennis greats suggesting he’ll one day be a great champion of the sport.
"I think it just shows that I’m doing the right things and I’m on a good path," the Quebecer said in response to being asked after the win for his reaction to 18-time grand-slam champion Rafael Nadal singing his praises earlier this week.
The general consensus is that Auger-Aliassime is flying down that road. We’re talking about a player who’s surged from 109th in the world rankings to 21st since the beginning of January, a player who has accumulated a 30-16 record over that time, reaching five semifinals and three finals in the 13 events he’s participated in.
On Tuesday, that player was hitting deep, penetrating returns, he was hitting booming forehands down the line, he was opening up the court with his crossing backhands, and he was getting his serve up to 215 kilometers per hour en route to notching nine aces in the match.
But Auger-Aliassime wasn’t quite at his best. Not even in the dominant first set that saw him break Pospisil’s serve three times.
The thing is that every time Auger-Aliassime faltered, he found a way to bounce back. Like when he opened with double-faults on his first four serves of the second set and followed that up by winning the next four points. Like when he steadied himself after dropping the second set — finding his rhythm again quickly in the third.
And then there was the ninth game of that deciding set, when Auger-Aliassime fell down love-30 and then proceeded to paint the lines with his next four serves to take a 5-4 lead.
"Losing those two next points, probably the match would have been over," he said. "What else can you do than just give it all? I tried to find a good first serve, play to win. That’s what I was able to do."
"I think that’s something just instinctive in life," Auger-Aliassime added. "When your back is against the wall, you usually show up with something good. I think in any case in life, that’s what you do.
"If you look at a lot of players, especially great players, whenever they need to, they usually play good points, serve well. I think I found that extra energy in me to serve well those four points and get that game."
Auger-Aliassime upped his percentages as the set dragged on and he upped his game in the final tiebreaker.
"I mean, he also stepped up, played a little bit more aggressive that last breaker, last five minutes of the match," said Pospisil, the Vernon, B.C., native who played through cramps in the final set. "He kind of stepped in a little bit more and played some good points."
Auger-Aliassime is determined to play more of them here at IGA Stadium. He’s set for another all-Canadian match on Wednesday, when he’ll face Thornhill, Ont., native and current No. 19 in the world Milos Raonic.
It won’t be easy. The six-foot-four teenager came out a 4-6, 4-6 loser to Raonic in their only other meeting on tour, at Indian Wells in 2018.
But that was then, and this is now.
"I believe tomorrow will be a totally different scenario," Auger-Aliassime said. "I’m a different player myself."
He’s a more experienced player. A resolute player, no doubt.
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