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Auger-Aliassime Beats Zverev to Enter ATP Finals Semis Against Alcaraz

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Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime secured a place in the ATP Finals semi-finals for the first time after defeating Germany’s Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) in a must-win group match. Despite both players struggling with unforced errors, Auger-Aliassime held his nerve at crucial moments, saving all four break points he faced. The victory ensured he finished second in the Bjorn Borg Group behind defending champion Jannik Sinner.

Auger-Aliassime enters the semi-finals on strong indoor form, with 19 wins in 24 indoor matches this season, including titles in Brussels and Montpellier. His next challenge, however, is world number one Carlos Alcaraz — a player Felix has not beaten since 2022. Meanwhile, Sinner continued his flawless run in Turin, advancing without dropping a set after a clinical win over Ben Shelton to extend his winning streak to 13 matches.

In the other semi-final, Sinner will face Alex de Minaur, who defeated Taylor Fritz to secure his spot despite a 0–12 head-to-head record against the Italian. On the doubles side, British tennis celebrated a historic moment as five British players reached the semi-finals — the most since 1992 — with Joe Salisbury, Neal Skupski, Julian Cash, Lloyd Glasspool, Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara all progressing.

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Australian Open 2024: Iga Swiatek stunned by Linda Noskova in third round

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Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the world number one, suffered a surprising defeat in the third round of the Australian Open to 19-year-old Czech player Linda Noskova. Despite initially appearing in control, Swiatek faltered against Noskova’s power, eventually losing 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena. Noskova, ranked 50th in the world, expressed her disbelief and joy at reaching the fourth round of a major for the first time.

Noskova, making her main draw debut in Melbourne, broke Swiatek in the deciding set and secured the victory on her first match point. This loss also ended Swiatek’s 18-match unbeaten streak. Other top seeds, including Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, and Ons Jabeur, had already been eliminated in earlier rounds.

Noskova will face either Ukrainian 19th seed Elina Svitolina or Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic in the next round. In other matches, China’s Zheng Qinwen, the 12th seed, won a third-set tie-break against compatriot Wang Yafan. Zheng will play French player Oceane Dodin in the fourth round. Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka advanced with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko.

Russian Anna Kalinskaya defeated American Sloane Stephens, setting up a clash with Italian Jasmine Paolini. This ensures a first-time major semi-finalist in Zheng’s section of the draw. Paolini will face Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska, who overcame American 27th seed Emma Navarro.

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