Félix Auger-Aliassime was not allowed to talk about love on Tuesday evening. Instead of biting into a piece of cake to celebrate his 23rd birthday, he instead had to digest another loss.
Auger-Aliassime did not stay up late on center court at Sobeys Stadium. The Quebecer suffered a loss in two identical sets of 6-4 against Australian Max Purcell.
The first game scheduled for the evening was so tightly contested that it ended while the skies were still clear.
This outcome is both surprising and expected.
On the one hand, Auger-Aliassime was coming home. It was his birthday and he was playing against a player ranked 66 lower than him. His last match had been six days ago, so he’d had time to rest his already sore body.
On the other, he was facing a player who had already played two qualifying games. He had the wind in his sails. Purcell had also beaten the Quebecer in their only encounter. It was at the Olympics in 2021.
Purcell has obviously taken a liking to manhandling Auger-Aliassime.
The meeting had started badly for him with a broken entrance from his opponent. It’s impossible to tell what was going on in his head when Purcell planted the last point before switching sides, but it’s easy to imagine what Auger-Aliassime was thinking.
“It’s not ideal to start a game. I think it started really well for him, actually. It was tough, but even better for him to start the game like that,” he said after the game, dressed in all white and sporting his “FAA” cap.
This entry streak did not seem to affect him too much, however, as he delivered honest opposition for the rest of the set, in which only the break would have made a difference.
Auger-Aliassime proved his frailty, however, in the third game of the second set.
For the first time, the home favorite’s serving streak required a draw. He often took the advantage, but Purcell, in splendid form, it must be emphasized, shut him down.
And at the first break point, Auger-Aliassime failed. His opponent pushed him up the field and the Quebecer missed a routine backhand volley.
At 4-2, he saved two break points, but the damage was done. In a game where service made all the difference, the break conceded four games before was finishing it off. Like an ingested poison that only takes effect a long time later.
In the final points of the game, each time Purcell knocked him down with winning shots, Auger-Aliassime looked long at the line on which the ball had landed. Out of consternation, amazement, helplessness or simply to try to understand why bad luck was beating him down.
Purcell didn’t look like much when he arrived on center court. With his tan t-shirt, all-black cap, and lazy gait, he didn’t look like the eventual 10th seeded man in the tournament.
Yet Purcell proved everyone wrong, since his relaxation was his greatest advantage.
Purcell’s serve was his biggest weapon in the game. Usually, it is Auger-Aliassime who hammers his opponents on serve. On Tuesday, he underwent the reverse treatment.
The Australian is not equipped with the same power as the Quebecer, but his ball placement is to be mistaken. His serve rarely exceeded 200 km/h, but he always landed in the right spot.
In the first set, Purcell won 100% of the points when his first serve was in play.
During the game, Purcell did not even give his rival a break point. He was in a class apart.
In return, Auger-Aliassime was unable to follow. With only 54% successful first serves, he shot himself in the foot. “He served very well. He led the whole match and on my side, I didn’t serve well, especially on the first serve, which is usually a great strength for me. »
For Auger-Aliassime, there is only one remedy for regaining rhythm and confidence: winning a single match. It would only take one trigger to relaunch it. “You just have to win one. And I haven’t been able to do that lately. I’m sure when I get that first win, I can go further up the table. »
Do not doubt it, even if the boots do not follow the chops too much these days, Auger-Aliassime still has this same taste for victory. He refuses to be discouraged.
“Every game I’m confident I’m going to win. I never go into a game thinking I’m going to lose. The reality is that you only have a one in two chance of winning,” he concluded.
While Félix Auger-Aliassime played on the center court, his good friend Gabriel Diallo played his first round match on the secondary court.
He had a lot to do, because he faced Daniel Evans, 21st player in the world and winner just a few days ago of the tournament in Washington.
Despite this, the 21-year-old Montrealer showed no signs of nervousness. He won the duel in two sets of 7-6 and 7-5.
“I would say that’s my biggest achievement so far,” he said after the game.
From the beginning of the duel, all the strings of his violin were well tuned.
His serve worked well and his forehand was effective. But his attitude was probably the most determining factor. At 2-2 in the first set, on serve, Diallo committed three unforced errors. He even faced a break point.
Like a veteran, even though he had lost his first three meetings on the ATP Tour, he calmly came back to win the game.
“The thing I’m most proud of is always bouncing back. Each time I was broken, I was able to come back and thus send a message to the adversary. »
Obviously, given the curriculum vitae of the two individuals, this victory was unexpected.
Evans showed signs of frustration late in the game when he saw the opposition the No. 140 player in the world was delivering.
“In terms of style, I think my team and I knew what he was going to try. And we also knew what we wanted to do. And, luckily, I was able to execute the game plan to win. »
Diallo will face Alex de Minaur, ranked 18th in the world, on Wednesday.
