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Felix Auger-Aliassime has extended his 13-match win streak to 14 in his opener at the ATP Paris Masters. Just a few moments ago, he recorded a win against his feisty Swedish opponent, Mikael Ymer. However, despite the huge difference in ranking and form between the two, this one went right down to the wire. In fact, Auger-Aliassime was a set and 4-1 down against his opponent before turning things around. So to say that he was on the brink of losing his opener would be a pretty big understatement.
For me, the fact that this match was close was somewhat surprising. I say this because Auger-Aliassime had previously beaten Ymer pretty handily in their first and only meeting. This was at Wimbledon in 2021, and Auger-Aliassime is twice the player he was then. However, to Ymer’s credit, he battled hard out there and made Felix Auger-Aliassime really work to get the win.
Auger-Aliassime was actually a break up on two separate occasions in the third set before Ymer pipped him back both times. And ultimately, the game needed a 3rd set tie-break to decide the winner. This tie-break was a somewhat edgy and very tense affair, yet it was Auger-Aliassime who had the guts to play the big points well. He managed to scrape the tie-break by a score of 8-6.
Incidentally, this was the same score that Ymer won the first set tie-break. But it wasn’t meant to be for the Swedish player today, and Auger-Aliassime marches on in Paris. On that note, I was impressed with several things from Auger-Aliassime today, which I feel need to be detailed right now.
Felix Auger-Aliassime – His Invincible Streak Continues
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It goes without saying that when players get on a roll, they get incredibly confident and almost believe that they cannot lose. Things certainly seem to be that way with Auger-Aliassime at the moment. And to be honest, I believe that his recent streak is what pulled him through the match today. Here’s what I noticed in his game during the win against Ymer:
Fighting Spirit
In years gone by, I’ve always felt that Auger-Aliassime had the potential to implode when things weren’t going well. He used to have the type of game that is flashy, yet when route one failed, he couldn’t really fight through it. Yet his game today showed that this is definitely a thing of the past. He was willing to stick in there when things got tough, and he got the reward in the end.
Ability to Stay Calm Under Pressure
Let’s be honest – alarm bells are ringing when you are a set and 4-1 down in your first match of any tournament. And while Auger-Aliassime fought back to claim the second, things were equally very tight in the third. Yet I felt that he maintained his composure remarkably well, despite a few rowdy fans in the crowd.
Trust in His Shots at the Big Moments
One of the biggest things about Auger-Aliassime today was his confidence in the big moments. He still went for the ball even if an unforced error or mistake at that moment could be critical. And this tells you how confident he is in his abilities right now. So assuming he recovers well for his next game, he is still the man to beat.
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