Alcaraz, eliminated from the Swiss Indoors after losing to Auger-Aliassime

Felix Auger-Aliassime held a tennis clinic to brutally dismiss World No. 1 Carlos Alacaraz 6-3 6-2 in the semi-final of the Swiss Indoors in Basel. The No. 3 seed secured a dominant third straight win over Alcaraz to advance to the final and extend an impressive 12-fight win streak.

Auger-Aliassime has won back-to-back tour-level crowns in Florence and Antwerp and will now be the heavy favorite to add another title in Basel on Sunday after this commanding performance against the most exciting young star in the game.

Auger-Aliassime, in the form of his young life, began ominously with commanding early domains. The Canadian star dropped just two points in his first four service games and Alcaraz had no answer.

Alcaraz was not as convincing on his own serve and Auger-Aliassime continually threatened to break. The Spaniard seemed nervous and Auger-Aliassime had the aura of a man determined to dispatch his twelfth consecutive opponent.

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The talented duo, the future of men’s tennis, are great friends and practice partners off the court, but Auger-Aliassime was ruthless in an inspired first set. The 22-year-old executed his plan to perfection and left his opponent reeling with a true display of varied serving.

Alcaraz finally broke in her fourth service game, and Auger-Aliassime rallied on her own serve to take an impressive first set 6-3 in just 39 minutes. Alcaraz, the unusually overwhelmed US Open champion, was limited to just one winner in the entire set, a testament to his opponent’s aggressive defense.

And just one point won on Alcaraz’s second serve pointed to Auger-Aliassime’s total dominance in all areas in a high-quality first set. The inspired Auger-Aliassime then put together arguably the best return game of the tournament, winning an exquisite four points in a row to break once more and gain a strong foothold early in the second.

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Alcaraz arguably became too predictable on serve and it soon became clear that not even a player with the 19-year-old’s hitting power could live with Auger-Aliassime in form. He cut a frustrated figure after missing a rare chance to bounce back after leading 30-0 in game six of the second when Auger-Aliassime held his ground.

Auger-Aliassime showed no signs of relenting and called for a double-rest mattress to drop to the brink.

And despite some late resistance from Alcaraz, it served to seal one of his most impressive wins of the season as the Spaniard was condemned to his second loss in nine semi-finals. Roberto Bautista Agut or Holger Rune await the fittest star in the sport in Sunday’s final.