Felix Auger-Aliassime from Montreal secured a spot in the semifinals of the European Open tennis tournament by defeating American qualifier Eliot Spizzirri with a 6-2, 7-6 (6) victory in Brussels, Belgium. Auger-Aliassime sealed the second set with his 11th ace of the match after dominating the first set by breaking Spizzirri’s serve twice without facing any break points himself. Despite a stronger performance from Spizzirri in the second set, Auger-Aliassime managed to hold on, saving two set points and eventually clinching the tiebreaker.
Ranked 13th in the world, the 25-year-old Canadian will now face Belgian wild card Raphael Collignon in the semifinals. In another match, Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., emerged victorious in the quarterfinals of the Stockholm Open by defeating Swedish wild card Elias Ymer 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1. Shapovalov, ranked third in Stockholm, dominated the third set by winning the final five matches and will now go against second seed Casper Ruud of Norway.
Meanwhile, at the Japan Women’s Open in Osaka, Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Que., triumphed over Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in the semifinals with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 victory. Fernandez showcased a strong performance with one ace, 33 winners, and 31 unforced errors, securing a spot in the championship final against Tereza Valentova from the Czech Republic.
