Wimbledon 2021: 3 talking points from Felix Auger-Aliassime's thrilling win over Alexander Zverev
Fourth seed Alexander Zverev lost to Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6, 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-3, 4-6 in a rain-interrupted Wimbledon fourth-round thriller on Monday.
Zverev made a slow start, dropping the opener with a difference of one break, and then slipped into a bigger hole as he lost the second set tiebreaker too. To his credit, the German rallied to win the next two sets and force a decider.
Despite all the momentum being on his side, Zverev produced a shocking service game at the start of the fifth, coughing up three double faults. The 24-year-old did find a second wind, surviving break points before winning three games in a row, but dropped serve again at 3-3.
Auger-Aliassime then produced two consecutive service holds to knock out the fourth seed and reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, where he'll meet Matteo Berrettini. On that note, let's have a look at the three biggest talking points from the match.
#1 Alexander Zverev's service woes prop up again
After serving imperiously in the first two rounds, Alexander Zverev struggled with the shot in his hard-fought third-round win over Taylor Fritz. And against Felix Auger-Aliassime on Monday, the German's serving woes got even worse.
Zverev sent down a whopping 20 double faults in the match, with three of them coming in the opening game of the fifth. He managed just nine aces against his opponent's 17, and although he won 79% of his first-serve points, that number went down to a measly 34% on his second delivery.
The 24-year-old lost serve six times in the match, and twice in the decider, which ultimately proved to be his undoing.
#2 Alexander Zverev struggled to hold on to leads throughout the match
The result of the match could have been much different had Alexander Zverev not squandered 4-2 leads in the first two sets.
While he lost the first set 4-6, the second went to a tiebreak, where Zverev held a set point at 5-6. But Auger-Aliassime reeled off three points in a row to take a two-set lead.
In the fifth, Zverev recovered from 0-2 down to take a 3-2 lead. But he then promptly dropped serve again, and Auger-Aliassime never looked back from there.
Zverev has historically struggled to play his most attacking tennis after building up a lead, and that problem came back to bite him on Monday.
#3 Felix Auger-Aliassime has finally conquered his big-stage demons
Felix Auger Aliassime failed to take a set off Alexander Zverev in the pair's three previous matches. But in their first meeting at a Grand Slam, it was the young Canadian who recovered deficits in the first two sets to take a two-set lead.
Auger-Aliassime has also often failed to bring out his best tennis in the biggest of matches. The 20-year-old has infamously lost all eight ATP finals he has been part of. And in his two previous Slam fourth-round matches, he lost in straight sets in one and squandered a two-sets-to-love lead in the other.
But on Monday, Auger-Aliassime conquered all those demons as he put in a mature performance to oust one of the title favorites. During his on-court interview after the match, the Canadian called it the "biggest victory" of his life.
"It was super difficult, knowing I have never beaten him, let alone won a set against Alex," Auger-Aliassime said. "When he started to come back, I really needed to dig deep, and without the fans, it would have been a lot tougher. It's a dream come true, I'm just a normal guy from Canada. It’s the biggest victory of my life, under a closed roof the atmosphere was amazing and I’m living this win with you."
Following his first win over a top-5 player, Auger-Aliassime will now look to reach his first Major semifinal in two days' time.