"Felix Auger-Aliassime is one of the worst players I have ever seen" - Fans aghast as Canadian loses to 18-year-old Jakub Mensik in US Open 1R
Felix Auger-Aliassime lost to 18-year-old Jakub Mensik in the first round of the 2024 US Open on August 27, extending his disappointing run of form in the North American hardcourt swing. His defeat has sparked reactions from tennis fans around the globe.
Auger-Aliassime arrived in New York after two unsuccessful title-winning attempts at the Canadian and Cincinnati Masters. Flavio Cobolli defeated him in the first round in Montreal, and his run in Cincinnati ended in the third round after a controversial loss to Jack Draper.
In his match against Mensik, the 24-year-old Canadian managed only two break-point opportunities while committing 10 double faults and 36 unforced errors and ended up losing 2-6, 4-6, 2-6. This is the second straight year Auger-Aliassime has been knocked out in the first round at the US Open.
Fans have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to react to Felix Auger-Aliassime's loss, with one even describing him as the "worst" player they have ever seen.
"Felix Auger-Aliassime is one of the worst players I've ever seen. Easy 3-0 for Mensik," the user wrote.
"Damn, I thought Felix had a good chance of getting to the 3rd/4th round but I guess not," another wrote.
One account posted:
"What happened to Felix? He’s a shell of the player he once was."
"Is Felix Auger-Aliassime being serious with me right now?" another tweeted.
"FAA and Rune about to start a book club," a user wrote.
"Even me can beat FAA now, and Rune too," another chimed in.
Felix Auger-Aliassime's best Grand Slam performance so far has been reaching US Open SF in 2021
Felix Auger-Aliassime's best Grand Slam performance to date came at the US Open, where he reached the semifinals in 2021.
Along the way, the Canadian defeated players such as Evgeny Donskoy, Bernabe Zapata Miralles, Frances Tiafoe, and Carlos Alcaraz, before losing to the eventual champion, Daniil Medvedev.
Auger-Aliassime told the media after his defeat:
"It's tough to lose. I had to play my best level and even better if I wanted to get a chance to win today. I didn't do it long enough."
"Against a player like that, you don't really have room for mistakes, room for losing your focus, which I did at the end of the second. He took advantage of it and I didn't get another chance after that," he added.