MELBOURNE, Australia – Félix Auger-Aliassime was just one point away from winning No. 2 Daniil Medvedev and a place in the semifinals of the Australian Open.

But he could not complete the job and the Russian veteran took advantage of it.

An hour and 14 minutes later, Medvedev eliminated a two-set deficit in a Grand Slam for the second time in his career, beating Auger-Aliassime 6-7 (4), 3-6, 7. -6 (2 ), 7-5, 6-4.

“Once on the pitch, you do not want to regret it. “I can go back and think I wish I had made different choices or I wish Daniil hadn’t played so well sometimes,” Auger-Aliassime explained after the four-hour, 42-minute marathon quarterfinals that ended after midnight in Melbourne. . But, yes, I did try my best.

“At the end of the day, I can not regret the effort I made and the opportunities I gave myself,” he added. Of course, I would love to win. I like to win every time. It is heartbreaking to lose in the end, but so is life. I just have to accept it. »

Convincing principle

With the majority support of a good crowd a little limited by the restrictions imposed by the government due to COVID-19, the 21-year-old Quebecer actually took control at the beginning of the race.

Medvedev was unexpectedly unstable and did not seem to be physically better. A growl accompanied his every move and he sweated a lot. Nothing succeeded for the 25-year-old.

He was looking for solutions and found no mistakes in the Auger-Aliassime game.

“I was not at my best and Felix was playing amazingly,” Medvedev said in a post-match interview. It served amazingly. It dominated me. I did not really know what to do. »

And after a little rain, everything changed, at least for Medvedev.

With the Russian serving 2-1 in the tiebreak of the third set, there was a seven-minute break when a brief downpour required the folding roof to close and the field to dry.

Medvedev left the pitch for a moment as Auger-Aliasim remained sitting in his chair, talking to himself.

The Russian returned and won five of the following points, as well as the third set.

“In the first set and the tiebreak, I was sweating a lot and I had two double faults because my hand was wet,” Medvedev said. When they closed the roof, I felt that the advantage had changed and I felt that I could exchange the ball better. »

Lost chances

As soon as the air conditioning was turned on, the temperature inside Rod Laver Stadium dropped by 10 degrees. And that helped the Russians.

There was no rain for the rest of the match. But the roof remained closed.

Auger-Aliassime admitted that he had small windows of opportunity even before this tiebreak – small opportunities that, if taken advantage of, could have given him a three-set victory.

Experienced champions take advantage of these moments and put the pedal to the metal to complete the job. At 21, Auger-Aliassime is still learning.

However, in the fourth set, in the serve to stay in the match at 4-5, Medvedev made a double mistake and offered a match point to the Canadian.

But the Russian responded with a huge service at 213 km / h – his best night.

Medvedev put all the chewing gum in it. And yet, Auger-Aliassime had opportunities for a break at the start of the fifth set. But every time the door opened slightly half open, Medvedev found the solution or Auger-Aliasim could not deliver the fatal blow.

“I thought, ‘What would Novak (Djokovic) do?’ Medvedev pointed out, referring to the nine-time champion who, each time his name is mentioned, provokes a chorus of disapproval from the crowd in Melbourne.

“And I thought, okay, I’ll make it work. If he wants to win, he has to … fight to the last point. »

Medvedev changed his position for the return of the serve behind the baseline, pressing several meters inside the field.

He also picked up the pace as much as he was allowed between points in his serve – in some cases he was ready to serve before even the referee’s Damien Dumusois started the 25-second clock.

He did not give his opponent time to prepare and the effectiveness of the Auger-Aliassime in return plummeted.

Medvedev also reached the net more in the tie breaks, and when he was back.

Suddenly none of the outside distractions bothered him. Nor did he seem to be in any physical pain.

The advantage of experience

Auger-Aliassime, who needed a medical break of 2-3 in the fifth set to tie his right ankle, the plan in 2022 is to stay positive – whatever comes.

“It’s no coincidence that he (Medvedev) is where he is now. He fights, he tries to find solutions. It plays well when needed, described Auger-Aliassime. I think he did better than me in the critical moments – sometimes he was a little more consistent.

“It also comes with experience, I think. But I’m looking forward to the next time I can put myself in this situation. I think I can take this step. »

Auger-Aliassime was trying to reach the second consecutive Grand Slam semifinal. He qualified for the US Open semifinals last year, where he also lost to defending champion Medvedev.

He has reached at least the quarterfinals in the last three Grand Slam tournaments.

Medvedev will face Roland Garros finalist Stefano Tsitsipa on Friday. The Greek maintained his perfect record in the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam (5-0) with the victory with 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 over the 11th made Jannik Sinner.

Defending US Open champion Medvedev, who is trying to become the first male player of his career to win his second Grand Slam title in the next major tournament, is still well on his way to doing so.