From a Cincinnati rout to a New York surge
A month ago, Jannik Sinner blew past Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-0, 6-2 in Cincinnati. In New York, the defending US Open champion still won, but he had to work for it. Auger-Aliassime pushed the world No. 1 to four sets in their semifinal, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, and for long stretches matched his pace and nerve. That shift—from a one-sided loss to a real fight—defined the Canadian’s week at Flushing Meadows.
This run didn’t come out of nowhere. Auger-Aliassime threaded a brutal half of the draw and cleared three seeds along the way: No. 3 Alexander Zverev, No. 15 Andrey Rublev, and No. 8 Alex de Minaur. He reached his second US Open semifinal and first Grand Slam semifinal since 2021, reminding everyone what his ceiling looks like when the serve is landing and the forehand is driving through courts like a hammer.
The quarterfinal against de Minaur told the story. The Australian is one of the tour’s quickest defenders and most disciplined counterpunchers. Auger-Aliassime didn’t let him settle into long, neutral rallies. He took the ball early, aimed big to the corners, and used the first strike to rush the net. Straight sets, clean message: when the Canadian leans into his patterns, he takes time away from even the fleetest opponents.
That win also reset the tone of his season. Auger-Aliassime has talked openly about stretches of self-doubt over the past couple of years. Injuries and dips in form in 2023 bled into 2024. The game never vanished, but the confidence did. New York gave it back. The rhythm on serve, the willingness to come forward, the body language between points—he looked sure of himself again.
The Sinner test, the adjustments, and what this run means
Against Sinner in the semifinal, the first set got away fast. Sinner broke early, controlled the baseline, and ran off with it 6-1. That was the moment where earlier versions of Auger-Aliassime might have unraveled. Not this one. He steadied, protected his serve, and turned the second set with better placement and a heavier forehand. The 3-6 scoreline there doesn’t capture how assertive he became behind the first strike.
The third and fourth sets hinged on slim margins—one loose service game here, one bold return game there. Sinner, as he tends to do, lifted in the biggest moments. But Auger-Aliassime stayed right with him, absorbing pace on the backhand and picking his spots to flatten the forehand down the line. He also mixed in more net approaches than in their Cincinnati meeting. That mattered. It kept Sinner guessing and paid off in shorter exchanges, the kind of points that suit the Canadian when he’s confident.
Three things stood out in this New York version of his game:
- Serve discipline: not just power, but smarter targets—into the body on big points, wide when he needed a free look at the next ball.
- Forehand aggression: less spinny safety, more front-foot depth that pinned opponents behind the baseline.
- Shot selection under pressure: a few brave backhand line changes in tight games that flipped court position.
Those tweaks framed the tournament as a genuine reset. Before this US Open, his last deep Slam was the 2022 Australian Open quarterfinal. Since then, it’s been a climb through stops and starts. Here, he handled top seeds, absorbed the noise of Arthur Ashe-sized stages, and kept his level when a match tilted against him. That’s a competitive habit as much as a technical one.
The quarterfinal win over de Minaur did more than put him in a semifinal. It showcased a matchup he used to find tricky—elite defenders who turn every point into a test of patience. He didn’t overhit early and didn’t get dragged into marathon exchanges. He pressed when the court opened and eased off when it didn’t. It sounds simple. It’s not. That balance is where his most successful weeks have lived.
One subplot hovered over the run: life off court. Auger-Aliassime shared that he’s getting married two weeks after the tournament, with a suit fitting that was originally slotted for the Monday after the men’s final. Deep in the second week, those plans obviously needed a reshuffle, and he smiled about it. The message was clear—these are good problems to have.
What does this mean for the rest of his year? Rankings will take care of themselves when you beat the No. 3 seed and a top-10 quarterfinal opponent back-to-back. More importantly, the blueprint is clear. When he serves with variety, takes the forehand early, and backs up the baseline without drifting, he’s a threat to anyone. The semifinal showed it: even the best player in the world had to absorb stretches where the Canadian dictated.
For Canadian tennis, there’s a ripple effect. Crowds in New York tend to find a favorite—someone who feeds off the atmosphere and gives it back. Auger-Aliassime became that player again. You could feel it in the reactions to his second-set surge against Sinner and the clean ball-striking that carried him past de Minaur. That energy matters. It lifts the player, but it also reinforces that his top gear is still very much in reach.
If you’re looking for turning points, circle two: the composure to serve out tight sets against de Minaur, and the tactical courage to change patterns versus Sinner after a rough opening set. Those aren’t flashy highlights. They’re the quiet skills champions lean on in the second week of Slams.
He leaves New York with a semifinal, a statement week against elite opposition, and a reminder—to himself as much as to the locker room—that the big stage suits him. The wedding can wait a day or two for a fitting. The game arrived right on time.
