Felix Auger-Aliassime upset third seed 4-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-4 6-4 in round three at Flushing Meadows
The win highlights Auger-Aliassime’s net success (24/27), forehand winners, and serving stats
Alexander Zverev had enlisted Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni as coach to try and win Grand Slams
Felix Auger-Aliassime insists his stunning performance to oust Alexander Zverev at the US Open did not "fall out of the sky".
The Canadian upset the third seed 4-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-4 6-4 in round three at Flushing Meadows on Saturday to ensure Zverev's search for an elusive major title would continue.
Auger-Aliassime won 24 out of 27 net points, while his front-foot approach combined with some huge serving and outstanding groundstrokes left Zverev without an answer.
Zverev had enlisted the help of Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni as coach to try and get over the line in the majors but the three-time grand slam runner-up continued to fall short on the biggest stage.
"In practice I felt like I was doing things really well. Mentally, [I've had] more clarity in my game and how I want to play," Auger-Aliassime said.
"A performance like this doesn't fall out of the sky. But you never know also when you're going to play that level on any given day."
Data Debrief: Zverev matches Nadal but not how he wants to
With this defeat, Zverev becomes the first ATP top-three ranked player to lose in the opening week at consecutive grand slam events since Nadal (Wimbledon, US Open) in 2005.
Conversely, Auger-Aliassime is the third Canadian since 1973 to defeat an ATP top-five opponent at a grand slam after Milos Raonic and Denis Shapovalov – both of whom achieved the feat against Zverev.
In the Open Era, Zverev (74.3%, 113-39) holds the best men’s singles win rate at grand slam events of any player not to have won a slam tournament (minimum 10 matches).
Zverev's record against opponents ranked outside the ATP top 20 since 2023 now reads 32-4 with this defeat.
