Canadian tennis player Felix Auger-Aliassime’s impressive journey at the U.S. Open came to an end in disappointment against the world’s top-ranked player. Despite a strong effort, the Montreal native was defeated 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 by Italian player Jannik Sinner in the semifinal match held in New York on Friday night.
Sinner, the reigning U.S. Open champion, will now move on to face the No. 2 seed, Carlos Alcaraz, in the final on Sunday. Alcaraz secured his spot in the final by defeating the 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic with a score of 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-2 earlier in the day.
Regardless of the final outcome, either Sinner or Alcaraz will have won all four Grand Slam titles in the last two years by the end of Sunday’s final, marking a significant achievement. Sinner expressed his excitement about the upcoming final, calling it a “very special day” and praising the competitiveness of the match.
Sinner’s victory over Auger-Aliassime marked his fifth consecutive appearance in the Slam final. He had previously triumphed over Taylor Fritz at Flushing Meadows a year ago and Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open in January. Despite a loss to Alcaraz at the French Open in June, Sinner bounced back to defeat him at Wimbledon in July, reflecting on his “amazing season.”
In the match against Auger-Aliassime, Sinner displayed strong performance in the initial set but faced a tougher challenge in the subsequent sets. Auger-Aliassime fought hard, particularly with a crucial 99 mph forehand winner that broke Sinner’s streak of 38 consecutive service holds. The Canadian’s resilience led to a tight match, with Auger-Aliassime eventually leveling the score by winning crucial points.
After a medical break following the second set, Sinner returned to the court and regained his form, showcasing impressive play in the third and fourth sets. Sinner’s dominance was evident as he secured the win, marking his 33rd victory in 34 Grand Slam matches and maintaining an unbeaten streak of 27 matches on hard courts.
In another semifinal match, Carlos Alcaraz’s youthful vigor and skillful play proved decisive as he outplayed the seasoned Djokovic to reach his third consecutive Grand Slam final. Despite Djokovic’s achievements this season, including reaching the semifinals at all four Slams, he fell short in the match against Alcaraz, who is aiming for his sixth major title and a second victory at Flushing Meadows.
Djokovic’s pursuit of a record 25th major title was thwarted once again, underlining the competitive nature of the tournament and the emergence of younger talents like Alcaraz and Sinner in the tennis world.