Felix Auger-Aliassime is a man on a mission in New York, as he now prepares for his quarterfinal match.
Having won just two matches at Grand Slams in 2025 before the US Open, expectations weren’t high for the Canadian at Flushing Meadows.
Proving his doubters wrong, Auger-Aliassime defeated Billy Harris and Roman Safiullin in straight sets to reach the third round of a major for the first time this year.
There, Auger-Aliassime stunned Alexander Zverev, taking out the number-three seed in four sets, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Backing up his win over Zverev with another strong performance, Auger-Aliassime eased past Andrey Rublev in straight sets to book his place in the quarterfinals.
The 25-year-old has now qualified for four Grand Slam quarterfinals in his career, an impressive tally, although there is a real argument to suggest he still hasn’t lived up to expectations…
John Fitzgerald says Felix Auger-Aliassime ‘hasn’t achieved his potential’ in tennis
Appearing as a guest on ‘The Tennis’, seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion John Fitzgerald, weighed in with his thoughts on Auger-Aliassime.
“I’ve been a fan for a long time; he’s a player to me who hasn’t achieved his potential,” he said.
“I think his athleticism and his ball-striking ability are nearly as good as everyone in the world. He probably doesn’t hit the ball as heavy as [Carlos] Alcaraz and [Jannik] Sinner, but a great ball striker.
“But I’ve always thought that his strategy needs to improve. I don’t think he picks the right shot to hit enough times in a match to beat the great players.
“I’d love to see him do it, I don’t know whether he hasn’t learned it in his early career, or if he hasn’t been coached it, but I think he has to improve that aspect of his game, if he is to go all the way.”
Focusing on Auger-Aliassime’s win over Rublev in the fourth round, Fitzgerald noticed similarities between the two players.
“It’s funny, I put those two players in the same category, [Andrey] Rublev is a bit of a one-dimensional player, he’s a great one-dimensional player, but he plays the same way all the time, to me,” he said.
“He’s obviously better than that, but I’m comparing him to the Sinner’s, the Alcaraz’s, and the [Novak] Djokovic’s, all those great players, so it’s a tough school to be in, but he needs more variety in his game, too, I think.
“I wouldn’t say they both have the perfect all-court game yet, but I see them as a bit similar.”
Fitzgerald admitted he’s had doubts about Auger-Aliassime over the years, but is hopeful that he can finally realize his full potential.
“I’m one of those guys who has been waiting for him… I have been waiting for him for four or five years to really break through. I have had my doubts that he’s actually eventually going to do it,” he said.
“In terms of his athleticism and his ball-striking, he should be at the back end of these big tournaments more often in my opinion, so unfortunately, for Felix, I’m on the Aussie side in the next round, but I’m a fan of Auger-Aliassime, and I hope there are times in his near future where he can go really deep into these tournaments, because I think he’s great for the sport.”
Auger-Aliassime will contest his fourth Grand Slam quarterfinal at this year’s US Open against Alex de Minaur, but how did he fare in his first three?
Felix Auger-Aliassime’s Grand Slam quarterfinal record
The Canadian star reached the quarterfinals of three consecutive Grand Slam tournaments in 2021 and 2022, winning one and losing two.
- 2021 Wimbledon QF [LOSS] v Matteo Berrettini
- 2021 US Open QF [WIN] v Carlos Alcaraz
- 2022 Australian Open QF [LOSS] v Daniil Medvedev
After losing to Matteo Berrettini at SW19, Auger-Aliassime returned to the last eight at Flushing Meadows to take on the impressive youngster Carlos Alcaraz.
Leading by a set to love, Auger-Aliassime was sent through to the semis when his opponent retired due to injury.
His run came to an end in the semifinals, however, losing out to Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in straight sets.
He lost to Medvedev in the latter stages of a Grand Slam again just a few months later, falling in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
A run of 14 Slams without a quarterfinal appearance followed, until Auger-Aliassime returned with a bang in New York.
Looking to advance to his second major semifinal, Auger-Aliassime will play De Minaur on Wednesday, September 3.
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