Can Auger-Aliassime halt Sinner's title defence in US Open SF?
If anyone is to derail Jannik Sinner’s title defence at the US Open, it will require courage and conviction in equal measure. A man rediscovering both in spades is his semi-final opponent Felix Auger-Aliassime.
The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Sinner arrives in the last four in New York riding a 26-match unbeaten run at the hard-court majors, having used his relentless ballstriking to move through the field with icy precision. Yet Auger-Aliassime has rediscovered his spark at the season’s final major, stringing together three upset wins to return to the semi-finals at a major for the first time since 2021.
The Canadian’s explosive brand of tennis has been key in his campaign so far, but against Sinner, patience will prove just as critical as power. Despite the scale of the task, Auger-Aliassime cuts a relaxed figure.
“I mean, strengths and weaknesses… Jannik, not many strengths, huh? A lot of weaknesses in his game,” Auger-Aliassime joked. “What to say about Jannik’s game? He’s been obviously untouchable at times… Honestly, the next match I’m not really going to focus on my opponent more than myself.
“I need to play good tennis. I need to play even better than I did today, regardless of tactically what I want to do. I need to play at a high level in two days and then the next round as well. There is no other way.”
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Auger-Aliassime’s belief has been forged through a testing route to the last four. His run has included gritty four-set comebacks against Top 10 stars Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur.
Even though he struck 51 winners against De Minaur, Auger-Aliassime leaked 50 unforced errors. That fearless brand of shotmaking has made him dangerous, but against Sinner, who punishes lapses with clinical efficiency, the Canadian No. 1 knows he can’t afford to give away free points.
Despite leading their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 2-1, Auger-Aliassime is offered a sobering reminder. In their latest meeting in the Cincinnati quarter-finals last month, Sinner steamrolled his way to victory for the loss of just two games, but the Italian is mindful of different dynamics in New York.
“It’s going to be completely different, because [the] conditions here are different,” admitted Sinner. “He had some big wins, so a big confidence boost for him. I feel like [anything] can happen. From my point of view, I always try to look at myself, and I’m very happy to be in the semis of a Grand Slam again.
“I feel like he has improved a lot. Even in one week, you can make big adjustments, and I feel like he did that. It’s going to be a very, very difficult match for both of us. Definitely different, because the Grand Slam, the energy and everything is going to be different. It’s going to be very interesting to see.”
After a hot start to the season that included titles in Adelaide and Montpellier before a final run in Dubai across the opening two months, Auger-Aliassime’s confidence wavered through a difficult mid-season stretch. But in New York, he has recovered his form and steel, rising eight places to 10th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin as he targets a return to the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time since 2022.
It was during that year he claimed a career-best 60 wins and four titles, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Auger-Aliassime enters the semi-final in New York with a 34-18 tour-level record and two titles in 2025.
Sinner, by contrast, has been a model of consistency. Though pushed to the brink by Denis Shapovalov in the third round — rallying from a set and a break down — the Italian has otherwise cruised into his fifth straight major semi-final. With titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon and a Roland Garros final sandwiched in between, Sinner is now just two wins away from becoming the fourth man in the Open Era to claim three Grand Slam titles in a season and reach the championship match in the fourth.
The 20-time tour-level champion also knows that he must better rival Carlos Alcaraz’s result if he is to hold onto the World No. 1 spot for a 66th consecutive week. The Spaniard faces Novak Djokovic in the first of Friday’s semi-finals.
For Auger-Aliassime, the moment is about seizing opportunity and proving his resurgence is built to last. Against Sinner, fearless ambition meets unflinching precision, and only one will walk away with a place in Sunday’s final.
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