Photo: ITF/Corinne Dubreuil
Only one player at the 2024 Summer Olympics has a chance at a medal in both singles and doubles: Félix Auger-Aliassime.
The Canadian will play for a singles medal after outlasting world No. 9 Casper Ruud in three sets to advance to the singles semifinals in Paris on Friday. Auger-Aliassime is the first Canadian ever to reach the semifinals of the singles at the Olympics.
He will play for bronze in mixed doubles with Gabriela Dabrowski on Friday. They lost their semifinal on Thursday to the Czech pair of Katerina Siniakova and Tomas Mahac.
Through three matches, Auger-Aliassime has been overwhelming opponents and it was largely the same in the quarter-finals. He dominated the rallies and used his big serve to great effect in the 6-4, 6-7(8), 6-3 win, his second Top 10 win in a row.
As has been the case all week in Paris, Auger-Aliassime took it to his opponents, firing 45 winners and 14 aces. Despite dropping serve for the first time all tournament, he still won 82 per cent of his first serve points and only faced a single break point.
Read also: Canadians Gear Up for the Their Home Masters
Both men were looking to execute similar tactics which begged the question: who would do a better job of using their big forehand to get the ball out wide to the opponent’s backhand side?
For the most part in the opening set, it was the Canadian going bigger and pinning Ruud in his backhand corner. And when the Norwegian did get the ball to Auger-Aliassime’s weaker wing, the Canadian was hitting it brilliantly, even using his backhand to bludgeon Ruud into defensive positions.
As a result, Auger-Aliassime was able to apply pressure to the sixth seed’s serve early. In the third game, he had a pair of looks at a break but could not convert. At 3-3, the Canadian upped the ante and threw everything at Ruud’s serve. Finally, after missing his first four break points in the game, a deep return from Auger-Aliassime drew an error to move ahead 4-3.
The Canadian had won his first three matches without so much as facing a break point on serve. He carried that level into this match and once he had the break, the outcome of the opening set was inevitable.
Read also: Dominant Auger-Aliassime Into Olympics Round Three
In the second set, Auger-Aliassime had multiple opportunities to put the match away but errors were creeping in at the worst moments. He broke in the opening game but at 3-2 played his worst service game of the tournament to drop serve for the first time. He then had four break points, including a love-40 lead, at 4-4 but committed errors on each.
Then in the tiebreak, he led 3-0, had the match on his racquet at 5-4, and held match point at 6-5, but each time he let Ruud back into it. The Norwegian then won a wild rally at 9-8 to send the match to a deciding set.
Despite the missed opportunities, Auger-Aliassime immediately re-asserted his control at the start of the third set as Ruud faltered slightly. Some poor choices from the Norwegian opened the door in the second game, included a weak drop shot that the Canadian ripped for a winner to set up a break point. Ruud missed a routine backhand to surrender the early break.
Read also: Top Stories to Watch at the National Bank Open in Montreal
This time, there was no blip from Auger-Aliassime to extend the match. Despite missing a match point on Ruud’s serve at 5-2, he only dropped three more points on serve the rest of the way after his initial break.
On Friday, Auger-Aliassime can assure himself of a medal with a semifinal win. However, he will have his hands full with Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated him on this very same court two months ago at the French Open. Even a loss would see the Canadian play for bronze on Saturday.
Dabrowski, Auger-Aliassime to Play for Bronze
Auger-Aliassime’s first crack at a medal will come on Friday in the mixed doubles with Gabriela Dabrowski. They were beaten in the semifinals in straight sets by Katerina Siniakova and Tomas Mahac 6-3, 6-3.
The Czech pair overwhelmed the Canadians with their big hitting and slick net play. They dominated the break points, saving seven of eight on their own serve and converted four of nine on the Canadians’ delivery.
Right from the start, both teams were applying pressure on the other’s serve. Mahac had to dig himself out of a love-40 hole in the Czech’s first service game before they broke Dabrowski in the next game. But the Canadians responded immediately to break Siniakova and even the set at 2-2.
Mahac again had to save a break point before the Czechs continued to pick on Dabrowski, breaking to love to move ahead 4-3. Auger-Aliassime nearly put the set back on serve again after teeing off on a Siniakova serve to set up a break point but he punched a volley long and the Czechs were able to consolidate the break.
Serving to stay in the set, Auger-Aliassime double faulted down set point to drop the opener.
Read also: Rogers First Set Returns to the 2024 National Bank Open in Toronto and Montreal
The Czechs continued to punish the Canadians for missed opportunities in the second set, again breaking Dabrowski a game after they missed a break point on Mahac’s serve. Siniakova’s hold for 3-0 was the seventh game in a row won by the Czechs.
While the Canadians managed to hang on to their serves for the remainder of the match, they failed to dig out of that early hole and the one break proved decisive.
They will play Wesley Koolhof and Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands for the bronze medal on Friday.
