US Open: Ranking the five biggest threats to pull off late upsets

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 03: Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada returns a shot during his Men’s Singles second round match against Andy Murray of Great Britain on Day Four of the 2020 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 3, 2020 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

2. Felix Auger-Alissime

Auger-Alissime is young and full of potential. It’s incredibly difficult to be put in the same conversation as those years older, regardless of the amount of pure skill. Luckily for the 20-year-old, he’s putting together a fabulous run so far through three rounds. After surviving a four-set first-round match (complete with three long tiebreaks), Auger-Alissime has absolutely dismantled his last two opponents in straight set. He ended Andy Murray’s hopes of a magical late run with a straightforward three-set victory and followed that up with an even better drubbing of Corentin Moutet 6-1, 6-0, 6-4 in Round 3.

Auger-Aliassime’s game is incredibly well-rounded. He possesses a powerful forehand and a very reliable backhand. His serve is among one of the better serves on tour and his athleticism is top-notch. It’s difficult not to have him as one of the top candidates to sneak through into the semifinals but has a very tough matchup against Dominic Thiem in Round 4.

Thiem possesses similar skills in terms of fiery groundstrokes and an effective serve, which could ultimately pose problems for the young Auger-Aliassime, despite him having a very successful 2020 campaign so far. If the young Canadian is able to sneak past Thiem, he has a favorable draw ahead of him (Pospisil/de Minaur). Fans everywhere have been waiting for his breakout moment in a Grand Slam; this year is looking like his best chance to do so as of now.

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