Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime secured a spot in the semifinals of the European Open tennis tournament by defeating American qualifier Eliot Spizzirri 6-2, 7-6 (6) in Brussels, Belgium. Auger-Aliassime sealed the second-set tiebreaker with his 11th ace of the match. The Canadian, seeded second, dominated the first set by breaking Spizzirri’s serve twice without facing any break points himself.
In the second set, Spizzirri presented a more resilient challenge and held two set points in Game 12. Auger-Aliassime, however, managed to level the frame at 6-6 with an ace. Despite falling behind 5-3 in the tiebreak, Auger-Aliassime rallied to win four of the next five points, securing his victory. The 25-year-old, ranked 13th in the world, will now face Belgian wildcard Raphael Collignon in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Denis Shapovalov from Richmond Hill, Ont., advanced to the semifinals of the Stockholm Open by defeating Swedish wildcard Elias Ymer 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1. Shapovalov, ranked third in the tournament, dominated the final set by winning five consecutive games. The world No. 23 is set to play against second-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway, whom he previously beat in the final of the Dallas Open earlier this year.
Over at the Japan Women’s Open in Osaka, Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Que., triumphed over Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in the semifinals with a score of 6-1, 2-6, 6-4. Fernandez, who recorded one ace, 33 winners, and 31 unforced errors in the nearly two-hour match, excelled in first serves and won six out of 12 return games. She is now set to face Tereza Valentova of the Czech Republic in the championship final.
