ATP Los Cabos tournament, semi-finals, Saturday, 06.08.2022
Los Cabos or Washington, at which tournament do we turn our attention to the semi-finals next Saturday? In Mexico, we will encounter a semi-final of the extra class, the players who are seeded second and third will meet!
I think it’s going to be pretty close, so in my Norrie Auger-Aliassime tip, I’ll also reveal why my betting recommendation goes towards three sets!
For many years Felix Auger-Aliassime had to listen to himself: An eternal talent, but always failing in the end because of his nerves. These accusations were not unjustified, after all, he lost one final after the other.
A few months ago in Rotterdam, his black streak finally came to an end. In the final, he won outright against Stefanos Tsitsipas and spoke afterwards of the greatest moment of his still relatively young career.
Until Wimbledon, he was able to maintain his form relatively well, but missed out on further victories against the big names. In London, there is no other way to put it, he then suffered a clear embarrassment. 7-6, 4-6, 6-7, 6-7 in a tie-break festival against Maxime Cressy, his nerves fluttered again.
A little later in Newport, it became clear that Auger-Aliassime was obviously in a very unstable form. Although seeded at position 1, he was eliminated right at the beginning with 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 against Jason Kubler.
Although he has been on the tour for quite some time, one must of course not forget: Auger-Aliassime will only turn 22 on Monday. In Los Cabos, he is currently showing that he can quickly eradicate weaker phases.
He started against Alex Hernandez with a 6-3, 7-5, in his quarter-final against Steve Johnson it was a bit tighter at 6-4, 7-6. The Canadian is well known for results without much room for manoeuvre.
He also had one or two close matches against Cameron Norrie, but I would like to start with the clear best argument in the direct comparison: four games, four wins! The Brit is definitely one of my favourite opponents.
Both met at the ATP Cup and in Rotterdam, i.e. at the tournament he won. 7-6, 6-3 and 7-5,-7-6, both matches could not have been closer. So I’m not surprised how close the bookies’ odds are now.
Values in the range of 1.85 can be found, sometimes Norrie is in front, sometimes Auger-Aliassime. Of course, one very special fact speaks for the Brit: He is the defending champion of this still young tournament.
Last year he beat among others Taylor Fritz and Brandon Nakashima and snatched the trophy. After his strong performances at Wimbledon, the Briton had hoped to stay on top.
In the semi-finals in London, he had lost to Novak Djokovic, but at least he won the set. On Mexican soil, Norrie had started with a 6-3, 6.0 against Tseng Chun-Tseng, the Taiwanese was no real opponent.
The 26-year-old remained very confident in the quarter-finals as well, throwing Radu Albot out with a 6-3, 7-6. He allowed his opponents 13 break chances, which means he still has some catching up to do. Auger-Aliassime, on the other hand, consistently held Johnson to a zero.
My Norrie Auger-Aliassime Tip
Cameron Norrie and Felix Auger-Aliassime should meet on a level early Saturday morning, in my eyes only little things will decide the winner. In Wimbledon, the Briton was clearly stronger, but the direct comparison speaks for Auger.
After my analysis, I cannot imagine one thing at all: A quick result. Both know tiebreaks and close results, which is why I give the following betting recommendation:
Norrie and Auger-Aliassime go into three sets!
