Félix Auger-Aliassime made a successful debut this Wednesday evening at the National Bank Open.
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The Quebecer, sixth seed in the Montreal tournament, won 7-6 (6) and 6-4 ahead of Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in front of a cheering crowd.
The latter had obtained an invitation from the organizers when he lost in the final of the Washington tournament last week. To return to Auger-Aliassime, the ninth racket in the world surely breathed a sigh of relief at the end of the meeting. This confrontation against Nishioka represented a trap in his career. However, he avoided falling into it by managing the important moments well.
Photo QMI Agency, Joël Lemay
After a close first run, the crowd favorite kicked into high gear in the second. He smashed Nishioka in game five to take control of the duel for good.
Subsequently, the rest of the match was a formality for Fred Fontang’s protege. He held the exchanges well against the tenacious Nishioka. Auger-Aliassime is now 2-2 in career against the latter.
In the next round, Auger-Aliassime will face Britain’s Cameron Norrie who defeated Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets. The two players met in the semifinals last week in Los Cabos. Norrie had beaten Auger-Aliassime in three sets. A duel that promises to be interesting.
“My references from our game last week are still fresh in my memory,” said Auger-Aliassime. I had things that worked well against him.
“It will be tough because Norrie is one of the best players in the world right now, but I’m approaching this game with confidence.”
Photo QMI Agency, Joël Lemay
Slow start
Auger-Aliassime and Nishioka needed a few plays to settle into the game. Possibly due to a certain nervousness, the Quebecer committed several unprovoked fouls. He totaled 25 in the first run.
“I had a tough first set against a tough opponent. I had good ideas, but the execution was not there, analyzed the Auger-Aliassime. In the second set, I had a speed that I did not have in the first run.
He had difficulty calibrating his ball length during exchanges. Nishioka only had to return the ball to the other side of the net and wait for Auger-Aliassime to foul.
Photo QMI Agency, Joël Lemay
You could tell the Japanese was playing the ‘trap door’ as Fontang’s protege put the pressure on with repeated attacks. In the end, Auger-Aliassime found a way to win the first round.
In the tiebreaker, he got a mini-break to have the upper hand. He ended the set with a superb crossover backhand. After that strike, the crowd roared. Félix took advantage of the moment before retreating to his bench with his fist in the air. A beautiful moment.
“It’s hard to prepare for this (to the noise of the crowd,” said Auger-Aliassime. I got up this morning and I felt very good. My warm-up went very well and everything seemed normal.
“When you go out and go through the tunnel, you feel an excitement, a vibration that is different and that I can’t find anywhere else. It gave me chills and butterflies.”
“At the end of the first run, the energy that was there was magical. I exposed myself to the public and savored the moment.
♦ Central fans gave a standing ovation when Auger-Aliassime entered the pitch. During the match, they were very loud to encourage the local player.