Félix Auger-Aliassime noticed his 2024 Olympics come to an finish on Saturday in Paris with a fourth-place end within the singles after a good loss to Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti within the bronze-medal match.
In a good affair, it was Musetti’s consistency that narrowly gained the day as he wore Auger-Aliassime down to say a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 win and the bronze medal.
Auger-Aliassime won’t be leaving Paris empty-handed, nonetheless, having gained the bronze within the combined doubles with Gabriela Dabrowski on Friday. A win over Musetti would have made the Canadian the one tennis participant on the 2024 Olympics to win a number of medals.
It was a really even match with little between the 2 males. Musetti was simply capable of apply a bit extra stress on return, profitable 69 per cent of the Canadians second serve factors and making a dozen break level possibilities. Auger-Aliassime solely had 4 possibilities to interrupt within the match.
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A sluggish begin put Auger-Aliassime behind the eight ball early, as he struggled within the lengthy rallies in opposition to Musetti’s deep, spin-heavy floor strokes. It took 5 tries, however the Italian was capable of break within the opening recreation when Auger-Aliassime pushed a backhand large.
Every thing was clicking for Musetti early, even whipping out a profitable tweener, however Auger-Aliassime began to select up his stage because the set went alongside. At 4-3, the Canadian used his heavy forehand to arrange a break level and Musetti failed on a serve-and-volley to place the set again on serve.
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Nevertheless it was a short-lived comeback as Auger-Aliassime fell down love-40 within the very subsequent recreation and, regardless of saving the primary two break factors, put a forehand into the online to right away had the break again. Musetti promptly served out the set to like.
One rally early within the second set appeared to flip the momentum. At 1-0, 30-all on Musetti’s serve, Auger-Aliassime outlasted the Italian in a titantic rally, finally placing away a volley to arrange a break level. He then launched a deep return that drew an error for a 2-0 lead.
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Abruptly, it was the Canadian within the ascendancy. He had all of the solutions, together with an ace on the lone break level he confronted within the following recreation, and even fired a backhand winner down the road at 4-1 to make it a double break, which was loads to ship the bronze-medal match to a deciding set.
Musetti’s stage had dropped a bit within the second, however he bounced again early within the decider. Auger-Aliassime discovered himself below stress on serve and, regardless of a formidable show of energy tennis to flee two break factors within the fourth recreation, he fired a forehand into the online on break level at 3-4 to arrange the Italian to serve out the win.
Auger-Aliassime now heads residence to play in his hometown Nationwide Financial institution Open in Montreal.
