By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Saturday, June 1, 2024
Felix Auger-Aliassime has faced the game’s greatest champions on the biggest stages in the sport.
Few shrink safe space as quickly as Carlos Alcaraz, but Auger-Aliassime has big ambition ahead of their French Open fourth-round showdown.
A resurgent Auger-Aliassime wrapped up a 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 win over an apparently banged-up Ben Shelton setting up a fourth-round blockbuster vs. Wimbledon winner Alcaraz.
It’s a clash Auger-Aliassime calls “as big of a challenge as it gets.”
Still, the Canadian knows what it takes to meet the moment.
Madrid finalist Auger-Aliassime has won nine of his last 11 matches and is one of the few players who owns a winning head-to-head vs. Alcaraz. He’s won three of their five meetings, including their lone Grand Slam clash at the 2021 US Open.
Auger-Aliassime aims for the upset bolstered by the belief in his fine form.
“In terms of the challenge, yeah, it’s the first time we play on clay, so that’s obviously different,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I beat him in indoors. He beat me twice in Indian Wells. So very different conditions now.
“First time since US Open a while ago when he was just 18 that we played in a Grand Slam. All these things together make it different, but obviously, it’s as big of a challenge as it gets. You play one of the best players in the world. So it’s always a special match against him or Novak or Jannik.
FAA understands the challenge it is to face Alcaraz but feels confident about his game 💪#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/xS5Gw5oeNj
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 1, 2024
“But I’m feeling better and better I feel like I have more and more belief in my game and what I do. So, yeah, I think I have all the reasons to believe that I can win, but obviously, we know the challenge. It’s a tough one.”
Shrinking the service box to the size of a sand box and carving out audacious angles, Alcaraz left big-hitting Auger-Aliassime looking unsettled and overwhelmed at times on serve in their last meeting.
Full-court press 👊
Defending champ @carlosalcaraz pulls out all the moves as he storms into R4 after sweeping aside Auger-Aliassime in straight sets!#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/rVHmxQphTH
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 10, 2024
An oppressive Alcaraz outclassed Auger-Aliassime 6-2, 6-3 charging into Indian Wells round of 16 last March. In that match, Alcaraz won 46 percent of points played on Auger-Aliassime’s first serve…
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