Félix Auger-Aliassime advances to quarterfinals at Open Sud de France

The Canadian tennis player Félix Auger-Aliassime, ranked 30th in the world and seeded 3rd in the tournament, qualified for the quarterfinals of the Open Sud de France in Montpellier on Thursday. He defeated the young French player Arthur Cazaux, who was playing at his home, in a thrilling battle that lasted 2 hours and 47 minutes. Auger-Aliassime won 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(4).

Cazaux, aged 21 and ranked 83rd in the ATP rankings, received a hero’s welcome in Montpellier after reaching the round of 16 at the Australian Open earlier this year. He started the tournament with an impressive victory over Maximilian Marterer of Germany (92nd in the world), winning 6-1, 6-3.

In the match against Auger-Aliassime, Cazaux came close to a remarkable upset as he served for the match at 5-3 in the third set. However, the Canadian fought back, broke Cazaux’s serve, and eventually won the decisive tiebreak 7-4.

After the match, Cazaux thanked his loved ones and the Montpellier crowd, stating, ‘I love my city, I love you all, and I will come back stronger.’

Next, Auger-Aliassime will face another French player, Harold Mayot, who is ranked 144th in the world and received a wildcard entry into the tournament.