With win over Tsitsipas, Auger-Aliassime's big moment seems imminent

It wasn’t Andy Roddick botching a volley against Roger Federer in the 2009 Wimbledon final with a two-set lead within his grasp, and it wasn’t Rafael Nadal missing a short backhand in the fifth set of what would be a six-hour 2012 Australian Open final against Novak Djokovic No, this was a short forehand Stefanos Tsitsipas had a clear look at during a quarterfinal at Queen’s Club, at ATP 500-level event that is a warm-up for the grander tournament that could be a career-changer for the 20-year-old. Tsitsipas has quickly become one of tennis’ must-watch players, and at No. 6 in the rankings, he will be seeded highly at Wimbledon, the Grand Slam that may play to his strengths more than any other.

But when Tsitsipas, who could have curled the forehand crosscourt, or aimed it straight at his frozen opponent, or eased it down the line for a pass put the shot so far wide that a Hawk-Eye review would have been laughable, it felt significant—not just in this match, but in this match-up.

Tsitsipas’ opponent, Felix Auger-Aliassime, is in the middle of a rise not unlike what the Greek has experienced this year. In four months’ time, the 18-year-old Canadian has rocketed from No. 104 to No. 21, and his technically flawless game has many believing that this week could be the last he resides outside the Top 20 for years. Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves: Auger-Aliassime hasn’t even won a tour title and, despite victories over Fabio Fognini, Borna Coric and Denis Shapovalov, he hasn’t had the signature wins Tsitsipas has earned—against Djokovic last summer; against Roger Federer at the Australian Open; against Nadal this year on clay.

That said, perhaps we consider Auger-Aliassime’s 7-5, 6-2 win over the top-seeded Tsitsipas—his second over the fellow 21 & Under Clubber this season—a signature showing. Maybe; maybe not. But whatever your thoughts on that, it feels like Auger-Aliassime’s breakthrough is coming soon. And considering how well he’s played on grass these past two weeks, it could come as soon as Wimbledon.

Auger-Aliassime began his rain-interrupted week at Queen's Club with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Grigor Dimitrov; later that same day, he beat Nick Kyrgios, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 7-5. Auger-Aliassime didn’t drop serve once against Kyrgios, and he wasn’t broken by Tsitsipas the next day, either.

Did Tsitsipas, somewhere in the back of his mind, realize that fact when he sprayed that forehand, which gave Auger-Aliassime two set points at 5-6? The two players have a very one-sided history: after today’s win, Auger-Aliassime is 5-0 against Tsitsipas, with three wins coming at the junior level.

Auger-Aliassime, a highly touted junior, is making a seamless transition the pros. Had tournaments been held on grass before last week, we may have witnessed Auger-Aliassime’s leap already. In Stuttgart, he reached the final, losing 6-4, 7-6 (11) to Matteo Berrettini. But rather than the week taxing the youngster physically, or deflating him mentally, it only emboldened him. No one will want to see Auger-Aliassime across the net at Wimbledon—and certainly not Tsitsipas.

As if the head-to-head record wasn't enough, Tsitsipas ended up on the grass at the end of both of his sets today. Two points after Tsitsipas’ foreboding forehand miss, Auger-Aliassime snagged the first set with a clean forehand winner. On match point, a backhand return from Auger-Aliassime delivered a knockout punch. Tsitsipas could only get up from the ground and shake Auger-Aliassime’s hand, as he’s now done five times.