In hockey, a “pure hat trick” is when a participant scores three objectives in a row with out anybody else placing one within the web.
For instance, if Sidney Crosby scored the primary three objectives of a recreation to offer the Pittsburgh Penguins a 3-0 lead, it might not simply be a hat trick for Sid, it might be a “pure” hat trick.
Whereas there isn’t any formal equivalence between most hockey and tennis terminology and feats, Félix Auger-Aliassime accomplished the closest factor to a tennis pure hat trick final week, one thing very hardly ever seen on the ATP Tour, to cap off a robust month on this planet of Canadian tennis.
Right here’s what you might want to know.
In Case You Missed It: Félix’s trifecta
There isn’t any one on planet earth proper now enjoying higher tennis than Félix Auger-Aliassime.
Final week, the Canadian gained his third title in three weeks, cruising to victory at the Swiss Indoors Basel. It’s his fourth title general in 2022, second on the ATP 500 degree, having come into the 12 months 0-8 in finals. The victory in Basel follows up title runs in Antwerp final week and Florence the week earlier than.
Not solely did he win the title, he dominated the sector. Auger-Aliassime misplaced only one set within the match, the primary set of his first-round match in opposition to Marc-Andrea Huessler in a tiebreak, and gained the title by no means having had his serve damaged. He has held 86 consecutive service video games, having final been damaged within the first set of his quarter-final final week in Antwerp.
His second-round match lasted a mere 49 minutes and he hits extra aces than he misplaced factors on serve, a match Auger-Aliassime described as the very best match he’s performed in his life. Within the semifinals, he handed Carlos Alcaraz his biggest loss of the season, dropping solely 5 video games in what was solely the world No. 1’s second straight-set defeat of the 12 months.
Within the remaining, he capped off the title run with one other straight-set win over Holger Rune. Auger-Aliassime’s career-best profitable streak is now as much as 13 matches.
On prime of simply profitable the title, the victory gave Auger-Aliassime a stranglehold on a spot on the ATP Finals as he moved as much as sixth within the Race to Turin, offering some cushion as he jumped previous Andrey Rublev. Auger-Aliassime is 195 factors forward of Rublev, who now sits within the remaining qualifying spot, and 725 factors forward of Taylor Fritz, who would wish to climb into the High 7 to unseat the Canadian.
Canada practically had two causes to have fun on Sunday as Denis Shapovalov got here inside a set of the Canadians sweeping the ultimate two ATP 500 occasions of the season.
Shapovalov has additionally been in good kind in October and reached his second remaining this month on the Erste Financial institution Open in Vienna, the place he gained the primary set of the title match before falling to Daniil Medvedev.
Being an ATP 500 occasion, it was the largest remaining Shapovalov had reached for the reason that Paris Masters in 2019.
Simply to succeed in the ultimate, the Canadian needed to take out a sequence of adverse opponents, together with a pair of Masters 1000 winners in 2022. In spherical two, he did Félix Auger-Aliassime a huge favour by taking out Fritz, severely damaging the Individuals hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals.
After beating the difficult Dan Evans in the quarter-finals, Shapovalov took down Cincinnati champion Borna Coric in straight sets earlier than dropping to Medvedev within the remaining.
Whereas there have been no WTA foremost tour occasions final week, there was some Canadian intrigue on the WTA 125 occasion in Tampico, Mexico, which featured an all-Canadian quarter-final conflict between Rebecca Marino and Leylah Annie Fernandez.
Marino gained the first-ever meeting between the two Billie Jean King Cup teammates, taking down Fernandez in straight units. The veteran misplaced within the semifinals to Magda Linette.
Three different Canadian girls competed in Tampico, all dropping within the first spherical. Bianca Jolie Fernandez, Leylah Annie’s youthful sister, additionally misplaced to Linette, Eugenie Bouchard fell to Renata Zarazua, and Billie Jean King Cup staff member Carol Zhao was overwhelmed by the eventual champion Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
The Fernandez sisters additionally misplaced within the first spherical of the doubles, as did Marino and associate Ingrid Neel.
What to Watch: Dabrowski lands on the WTA Finals, Auger-Aliassime’s eyes on Turin
Whereas the ultimate spots for the ATP Finals might be claimed this week, the WTA Finals will get underway in Fort Value, Texas.
Gabriela Dabrowski is the lone Canadian who certified for the year-end championships, alongside associate Giuliana Olmos. It’s Dabrowski’s fourth look on the WTA Finals. She certified final 12 months, however didn’t compete as her associate was injured.
The Canadian-Mexican duo, who gained a pair of titles collectively in 2022, are seeded second and are the highest-seeded pair of their group for the spherical robin.
They kick off their marketing campaign on Tuesday night time in opposition to seventh seeds Anna Danilina and Beatriz Haddad Maia. Additionally within the group are the fourth seeds Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens and fifth seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko.
In singles, world No. 1 Iga Świątek will look to cap off her dominant season with a primary title on the WTA Finals. She is the highest seed and is in a gaggle with Coco Gauff, Daria Kasatkina, and Caroline Garcia. The opposite group options Ons Jabeur, Jessica Pegula, Maria Sakkari and Aryna Sabalenka.
Świątek is the one Grand Slam winner competing in singles in Fort Value, as Australian Open champion Ash Barty retired and Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina didn’t qualify.
For each singles and doubles, two gamers/groups will advance out of the group stage to the semifinals, the place the occasion turns into a conventional knockout.
Two spots are nonetheless up for grabs on the ATP Finals and might be determined this week on the Paris Masters.
Félix Auger-Aliassime and Andrey Rublev at the moment maintain the ultimate two spots and each management their very own destinies as they’re on collision programs with the one two males who might catch them, Hubert Hurkacz and Taylor Fritz.
Each Hurkacz and Fritz have to win the title to qualify for Turin, that means just one can qualify.
The one state of affairs wherein Auger-Aliassime is not going to qualify for Turin is that if Fritz wins the title and Rublev reaches the semis. Another final result and Auger-Aliassime might be heading to the ATP Finals. The Canadian controls his personal destiny in that regard as he and Fritz are in the identical part of the draw and will meet in spherical three.
After a bye, Auger-Aliassime will look to maintain his profitable streak going in opposition to both Mikael Ymer or Alexander Bublik, who the Canadian beat within the Basel quarter-finals. He’s in the identical quarter as Daniil Medvedev and will meet prime seed Carlos Alcaraz within the semis.
Rublev and Hurkacz might additionally meet within the third spherical, that means solely one among them mathematically can catch the Canadian within the race.
Whereas he can not qualify for Turin, Denis Shapovalov will look to maintain his sturdy kind getting into Paris, the place he reached the ultimate in 2019. He’ll play Francisco Cerundolo within the first spherical and will meet Nationwide Financial institution Open champion Pablo Carreno Busta within the second spherical.
Ought to he advance to spherical three, he might play third seed Rafael Nadal, who’s competing in his first occasion for the reason that US Open. Every of the pair’s final three matches went the space, together with a five-set quarter-final earlier this 12 months on laborious courts on the Australian Open, in addition to Shapovalov’s upset of the King of Clay of their most up-to-date assembly in Rome.
Alcaraz leads a loaded area in Paris that features 9 of the world’s High 10 gamers. Solely Alexander Zverev is absent. Novak Djokovic is again to defend his title.
Below the Radar:
All 5 members of Canada’s Davis Cup Crew introduced by Sobeys had been in motion final week. Whereas Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov had been enjoying at ATP 500 occasions, Vasek Pospisil, Alexis Galarneau and Gabriel Diallo had been all competing on the ATP Challenger occasion in Las Vegas.
Galarneau had the very best end result, reaching the quarter-finals the place he misplaced to fourth seed and eventual runner-up Stefan Kozlov.
Pospisil was the third seed however misplaced within the first spherical to Jack Pinnington Jones. Diallo reached the second spherical the place he misplaced to Juan Pablo Picovich.
On the ITF M25 occasion in Saint-Augustin, Quebec, the Canadians confirmed up huge time on dwelling soil. Within the doubles, Keegan Rice and Duncan Chan gained an all-Canadian remaining over Marko Stakusic and Jaden Weeks.
Justin Boulais reached the singles remaining, the place he misplaced in two tight units to Tunisia’s Aziz Dougaz. Canadians Jonathan Sorbo and Liam Draxl additionally reached the quarter-finals.
The Tevlin Challenger, a W60 ITF occasion, befell at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto final week, with American Robin Anderson claiming the title.
5 Canadians had been competing on the occasion on dwelling soil, though solely Marina Stakusic acquired out of the primary spherical. She misplaced in spherical two to the eventual champion Anderson.
Eugenie Bouchard, Carol Zhao and Katherine Sebov are all competing in a WTA 125 occasion this week in Midland, Michigan, whereas Galarneau will look to maintain constructing momentum forward of the Davis Cup at a Challenger occasion in Charlottesville, Virginia.
You possibly can comply with the Canadians in motion each week here.
.jpg)
