Felix Auger-Aliassime gave American Frances Tiafoe no chance Friday en route to a convincing 6-1, 6-4 victory that sent him to the final four of the Paris Masters.
Auger-Aliassime's 16th straight win was the culmination of an unstoppable streak that has seen him win three titles -- in Florence, Antwerp and Basel -- and bring his career total to four. He is also seeking his first career Masters 1000 title.
The Quebecer is now 3-0 on the ATP Tour against Tiafoe after a fast-paced one-hour, 33-minute battle on the cement of the Accor Arena in Paris.
Auger-Aliassime will face the winner of the match between World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and Denmark's Holger Rune in the semifinals later today.
As was the case the day before against Frenchman Gilles Simon, Auger-Aliassime got off to a great start.
He quickly broke Tiafoe's serve to take a 3-0 lead in the first set. The eighth seed, in full control, followed up with another break to finally seal the outcome of the first set in 27 minutes.
The Quebec steamroller continued his momentum in the second set, quickly building a 3-1 cushion against the 16th seed. Auger-Aliassime never looked back after that, putting the finishing touches on his triumph with his sixth match point.
Towards the end of the match, Tiafoe, visibly overwhelmed, briefly tried to find solace by offering a hug to a young ball boy. The scene drew laughter -- and sympathy -- from the Paris crowd.
But it wasn't enough to turn the tide against Auger-Aliassime. Auger-Aliassime finished the match with three breaks in 14 opportunities, and did not give up a single break point to his opponent.
In other action, Serbian Novak Djokovic will face Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the quarter-finals later today. This match will be followed by the one between Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas and American Tommy Paul at the end of the day.
- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 4, 2022
