Teen Auger-Aliassime saves match point to reach Stuttgart semifinal

On Friday, Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime continued to shine on the main stage after securing a place in the Stuttgart semifinals. He took out showman Dustin Brown, 7-6 (3), 6-7 (2), 7-6 (2), saving a match point against the German.

Brown had stunned top-seeded and countryman Alexander Zverev in the previous match to score only his fourth Top 10 win, having beaten a seventh-ranked Marin Cilic in 2017 on hard-court at the Open Sud de France, and recording two wins over Rafael Nadal on grass in the 24th edition of Halle and 2015 Wimbledon. Prior to the tournament, the 34-year-old German had not won a tour-level match since the 2017 US Open.

In Friday's quarterfinal match, there were no breaks of serve in the first two sets but it was Brown who drew the first blood in the fifth game of the third set to go up 3-2. Down 4-5, Auger-Aliassime scored his first break of the match at 4-5. He surged in the decisive tiebreaker, dropping just two points to close it out.

The 18-year-old, who is having a breakthrough season, had pulled out of the French Open with a left adductor injury. Earlier this season, he reached his first ever career ATP final at the Rio Open and three months later, he reached the title match in Lyon, becoming the youngest player to make at least two tour-level finals since a teenage Andy Murray in 2005-06. He also reached his maiden Masters 1000 semifinal in March at the Miami Open, losing to John Isner.

Auger-Aliassime will next play compatriot Milos Raonic for a spot in the final. Raonic defeated Marton Fucsovics, 6-4, 6-4. The 2016 Wimbledon finalist is playing in his first tournament since the Miami Open, having missed the entire clay-court season due to a right knee injury. Jan-Lennard Struff and Matteo Berrettini will meet in the other semifinal.