Suspense emerged, Auger-Aliassime opening with a poor drop shot that Tiafoe brushed aside for a winner. Two points later, Tiafoe held a 15-30 lead, one great rally away from attaining his first break point of the match. But Auger-Aliassime rose to the occasion and won the next two points. At 40-30, on match point number six—but the first on Auger-Aliassime’s serve—he pinpointed an excellent serve down the T that set up an untouchable down-the-line forehand.
Crisp ball-striking has always been one of Auger-Aliassime’s strengths. For several years now, he’s shown the ability to snap off bold placements from all corners of the court. But as today’s match revealed, what’s become even more impressive is Auger-Aliassime’s increased command of a basic tennis premise that, oddly enough, is often overlooked by zealous players of all skill levels: depth cures all. Far more than power, the ability to direct the ball well past the service line often makes the difference.
From the start of the match, Auger-Aliassime pinned Tiafoe deep into the court, driving many a forehand and backhand within inches of the baseline. Winning 12 of the first 14 points, Auger-Aliassime took a 3-0 lead. All throughout the opener, he smothered Tiafoe with a range of shots forcefully and accurately struck crosscourt and down-the-line, all of it fueled by superior movement. Dropping just two of 18 points on his serve, Auger-Aliassime took just 27 minutes to close out the set, 6-1.
“Choices are clearer, and I feel more poised,” he said. “I saw it today when I was leading 0-15, 0-30. I felt confident. I felt serene. I knew that I would manage to pick up score, to play well at crunch moments. As we saw at the end, when we feel confident, this is what happens. Even when there is a lot of tension at 15-30, 30-All, there is an important point, and I managed to find the right hit at the right moment, to be poised in my body, in my mind. I needed to be robust in my level of play.”