Google News Felix Auger-Aliassime speaks extremely highly of Emil Ruusuvuori after tight AO clash
by DZEVAD MESIC
Felix Auger-Aliassime spoke extremely highly of Emil Ruusuvuori after surviving a tight Australian Open first round match. No. 9 seed Auger-Aliassime was made to work hard during his Melbourne opener but in the end he escaped with a 6-4 0-6 3-6 6-3 6-4 win over the Finn.
Auger-Aliassime admitted Ruusuvuori made him analyze and rethink what he was doing on the court. “It was not easy today,” Auger-Aliassime said in his post-match press conference, per the ATP website. “Dealing with different conditions than what we've had the past few days, quite cold, windy as well.
I think there was a part of adapting to that. My opponent played a great match. I always really thought highly of him. He made me analyse and rethink what I was doing many times in the match because he was playing well. “In the middle of the match, [I was] just not quite finding the right way to play.
Then I think I loosened up a little bit starting from the fourth set, just started serving better, was making him move a little bit more and at the end that's it. It's important for my confidence”.
Auger-Aliassime avoided a surprise loss
Ruusuvuori took an early 4-2 lead but Auger-Aliassime responded with back-to-back breaks to steal the opener.
After losing the first set, Ruusuvuori bounced back in an impressive style as he bageled Auger-Aliassime to level the match at one set apiece. Ruusuvuori then broke Auger-Aliassime in the eighth game of the third set before serving out go up by two sets to one.
After losing two sets in a row, Auger-Aliassime bounced back in the fourth as he broke Ruusuvuori in the fourth game and served out for a decider in the ninth game. Auger-Aliassime then broke Ruusuvuori in the fifth game of the fifth set and served out for the match in the 10th game. Auger-Aliassime plays next against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.