Montreal’s tennis player, Felix Auger-Aliassime, progressed to the semifinals of the European Open in Brussels, Belgium, after defeating American qualifier Eliot Spizzirri 6-2, 7-6 (6) on Friday. Auger-Aliassime sealed the second set tiebreaker with his 11th ace of the match. The Canadian, seeded second, easily won the first set by breaking Spizzirri’s serve twice without facing any break points himself. Although Spizzirri posed a tougher challenge in the second set and even had two set points in Game 12, Auger-Aliassime managed to level the frame at 6-6 with an ace. Despite Spizzirri briefly leading the tiebreak 5-3, Auger-Aliassime rallied to win four of the next five points, securing his spot in the semifinals. The 25-year-old, ranked 13th in the world, will now compete against Belgian wild card Raphael Collignon in the next round.
In another match on the same day, Denis Shapovalov from Richmond Hill, Ont., emerged victorious in his quarterfinal clash at the Stockholm Open, defeating Swedish wild card Elias Ymer 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1. Shapovalov, ranked third in Stockholm, dominated the third set by winning the final five matches. The world No. 23 is set to face second seed Casper Ruud of Norway next, whom he previously defeated in the final of the Dallas Open earlier this year.
Meanwhile, at the Japan Women’s Open in Osaka, Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Que., secured a semifinal victory over Romania’s Sorana Cirstea with a scoreline of 6-1, 2-6, 6-4. Fernandez’s performance included one ace, 33 winners, and 31 unforced errors in the nearly two-hour match. She excelled in first serves, winning six out of 12 return games, setting up a final showdown against Tereza Valentova of the Czech Republic.