Tournoi de Bâle Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov Advance to Quarterfinals

The indoor tennis tournament in Basel, Switzerland, has witnessed impressive performances from Canadian players Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov as they advanced to the quarterfinals.

Match Highlights

In the round of 16, Auger-Aliassime, seeded fifth, faced Croatia’s Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion. The match concluded with Auger-Aliassime winning in straight sets, 7-6 (2) and 7-6 (2).

Shapovalov, the ninth seed, also delivered a strong performance against France’s Valentin Royer, securing victory with scores of 7-6 (3) and 6-2.

Next Rounds

• Auger-Aliassime will compete against Spain’s Jaume Munar in the quarterfinals, after Munar’s upset of second seed Benjamin Shelton, winning 6-3, 6-4.
• Shapovalov’s next match will be against Brazil’s João Fonseca, who advanced due to Czech player Jakub Mensik’s withdrawal.

Performance Analysis

Auger-Aliassime boasts a career record of 3-3 against Cilic, who is 37 years old. The Canadian aims for his third title in Basel, having won in both 2022 and 2023. The match had a competitive first set, with no breaks of serve, leading to a tiebreak. Auger-Aliassime capitalized on a double fault by Cilic and utilized his powerful serve effectively.

In the second set, he maintained his strong serving performance, hitting a total of 28 aces, with no breaks against him throughout the match. The match lasted 1 hour and 47 minutes, concluding with Auger-Aliassime winning decisively.

In his match, Shapovalov demonstrated a commanding presence, hitting 11 aces compared to Royer’s three. Despite facing some challenges with double faults (three compared to Royer’s one), he converted three out of eight break point opportunities. Royer, who entered through the qualifiers, struggled to make significant impacts in the match, achieving only one break of serve.

Women’s Tournament Update

In the women’s category, Canadian player Victoria Mboko, ranked 23rd in the world, is set to face Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Tennis Omnium.

Rybakina, the tournament’s second seed, recently ended Leylah Annie Fernandez’s six-match winning streak with a second-round victory of 6-4, 6-3.

In doubles, Gabriela Dabrowski from Ontario and her partner Sofia Kenin will compete against Brazil’s Luisa Stefani and Hungary’s Timea Babos, vying for a spot in the semifinals.