Excellent Auger-Aliassime dispatches Medvedev to reach maiden Olympic quarter-final
The Canadian came through 6-3, 7-6 (5) against Daniil Medvedev to reach the last eight of the Olympic Games for the first time in his career
Auger-Aliassime, Paris Olympics, 2024 © Zuma / Panoramic
Felix Auger-Aliassime continued his recent clay-court renaissance with a hugely impressive victory over world No 5 Daniil Medvedev, beating the Russian 6-3, 7-6 (5) to reach the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games for the first time in his career.
The Canadian was sharp throughout the match, serving impeccably while supplementing his powerful groundstrokes with frequent forays to the forecourt. This latter tactic proved particularly fruitful, as Medvedev’s natural habitat is far behind the baseline where he likes to drag his opponents into elongated exchanges from the back of the court.
While Auger-Aliassime showed he was happy to take on Medvedev in baseline rallies, he also exposed Medvedev’s deep positioning to great effect.
Despite a straight-set win, however, this was a close contest with only a handful of moments deciding the outcome.
There was little to separate the two in the first set, with a single break for Auger-Aliassime in the eighth game proving the crucial moment. The Canadian broke to love after a loose service game from his opponent, which included an untimely double-fault at 0-15, before successfully serving out the opening set on his second set point.
The second was even closer than the first, with both players giving little to nothing away on serve. Auger-Aliassime in particular was clinical, with Medvedev failing to earn a single break point in the second set. The Canadian, meanwhile, could not convert either of the two opportunities he had on his opponent’s serve.
Both players held out for a tiebreak, one that mirrored much of the match as a tight affair. Neither player could pull more than one point away from the other until, as in the first, it was Auger-Aliassime who found the breakthrough at the crucial juncture.
With the scores locked at 4-4, the Canadian surged ahead at the death to generate two match points. The first went the way of Medvedev as Auger-Aliassime overcooked a half-volley drop shot to send it just agonisingly wide, before a netted volley from his opponent handed him a well-deserved victory.
It is Auger-Aliassime’s maiden appearance in the last eight of an Olympic Games and marks a continuation of the springtime resurgence he showed on the European clay earlier this year. After a very difficult season-and-a-half, the world No 19 rediscovered some semblance of his best form as he reached the final of the Madrid Open, before an eye-catching fourth-round finish at Roland-Garros a month later.
Following a disappointing grass-court campaign, Auger-Aliassime looks much more comfortable back on the clay courts of Paris, only this time representing his country on the biggest sporting stage there is.
Auger-aliassime to face ruud in the quarter-finals
Auger-Aliassime will play clay-court maestro Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals, after the Norwegian eased past the challenge of Francisco Cerundolo, defeating the Argentine 6-3, 6-4 on Court Simonne Mathieu.
A single break in each set was enough for the two-time Roland-Garros finalist as he gained safe passage through to face Auger-Aliassime in the last eight.
Full tennis draw for the Paris 2024 Olympics can be found here.
