Felix Auger-Aliassime gets ‘deserved’ return to US Open semifinals

NEW YORK — In advance of his wedding that’s scheduled in two weeks, Felix Auger-Aliassime scheduled his suit fitting for Monday — the day after the US Open men’s final.

His possible appearance in Sunday’s final might mean a change in plans.

“The fitting, we’ll see,” Auger-Aliassime said after Wednesday’s quarterfinal win over No. 8 seed Alex de Minaur. “I haven’t thought about it much yet, but obviously we’re probably going to have to postpone it. It’s a quick turnaround.”

It’s probably safe to say that neither Auger-Aliassime’s tailor nor his fiancée, Nina Ghaibi, will mind the fitting delay. It’s just Auger-Aliassime’s second trip to a Grand Slam semifinal in his career (the other was the 2021 US Open) and his strongest showing in a major since reaching the quarterfinal of the 2022 Australian Open.

Auger-Aliassime, 25, has played the role of conqueror in this year’s US Open, eliminating the No. 8 seed (de Minaur), the No. 3 seed (Alexander Zverev) and the No. 15 seed (Andrey Rublev).

Next up for Auger-Aliassime: top-seeded Jannik Sinner, who has already won two majors this year (Australian Open and Wimbledon). Sinner has dropped one set this tournament entering Friday’s semifinal (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET).

There was a time when Auger-Aliassime, the No. 25 seed in the US Open, was expected to be among the top players in the sport. He turned pro just over 10 years ago and became the youngest player to win an ATP Challenger Tour match (second-tier tour) just a month shy of his 15th birthday.

On the ATP Tour, Auger-Aliassime — born to a French-Canadian mother and a father who immigrated to Canada from Togo in West Africa — reached his highest ranking (No. 6) in 2022, the year he beat Sinner twice. In 2022, he went 60-27, winning four titles. But Auger-Aliassime struggled in 2023 with a 23-19 record — which included 10 tournaments in which he lost his opening match — then battled injuries in 2024.

The lack of positive tournament results those two years led to periods of self-doubt. The occasional struggle with confidence aside, Auger-Aliassime always felt he would be back in his current position of contending for a Grand Slam title.

“If I was 35 now, maybe I would doubt if it would ever come again,” Auger-Aliassime said. Even those last few years I was young enough to think, ‘…OK, what do I need to improve?’ ”

That improvement has been on display during the US Open as Auger-Aliassime, who lost his opening match at the French Open and his second-round match at Wimbledon, has played well enough to earn a return to Arthur Ashe Stadium after several years of being away.

“To have a few setbacks, injuries, struggles with confidence. … It feels better,” Auger-Aliassime said of playing at Arthur Ashe Stadium. “It feels more deserved.”

In 2023, Auger-Aliassime was named the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award winner for his philanthropy. Auger-Aliassime, through a partnership with BNP Paribas, has raised money to provide opportunities in sports and education for kids in Togo, where his father was born.

“It’s something that was important for me and my family to implement when the time was right in my career,” said Auger-Aliassime, who launched his assistance to causes in Togo in 2019. “[It] helps me also to have a bit of a perspective also with my career and seeing the challenges that some kids face there that I didn’t face growing up.”

As Auger-Aliassime looks to reach his first Grand Slam final, he was asked, “What’s more difficult: advancing through the tournament or his upcoming nuptials?”

“I don’t know,” Auger-Aliassime said. “The good thing is I was in the semifinals before. Walking down the aisle, I have never done.”