Carlos Alcaraz missed out on a chance to claim his sixth title this season when he went down to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semifinals of the Swiss Indoors in Basel Despite the result, Pam Shriver lauded Alcaraz for inspiring the younger generation by allowing them to "realize they too can win at big events."
Alcaraz, who created history by becoming the youngest World No. 1 ever by winning the US Open this year, is yet to defeat Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian defeated Alcaraz in his very first match since becoming World No. 1 in a Davis Cup encounter. Last year, the Spaniard retired midway through his quarterfinal clash against Auger-Aliassime at Flushing Meadows.
The 22-year-old from Montreal has had an incredible run since losing to Roberto Bautista Agut in the finals at Astana. He entered Basel on the back of title wins at the Firenze Open and the European Open, and will be seeking his third triumph on the trot at the Swiss Indoors.
Meanwhile, Holger Rune is aiming for a second successive title after clinching the Stockholm Open title last week by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. The Dane had also reached the finals of the Sofia Open where he went down to Marc-Andrea Huesler.
Auger-Aliassime and Rune, two players who have been on the path to ascendancy in recent times, will lock horns in the Basel final on Sunday as they look to add more feathers to their caps before the season comes to an end.
With their first-ever tour-level set to take place in the Swiss Indoors summit clash, Pam Shriver took to social media to praise Carlos Alcaraz for inspiring his fellow youngsters into believing that they can also compete with big-name players for the big titles.
"It’s like @carlosalcaraz has allowed the younger generation @atptour -players realize they can too win at big events and go for #1 during sunset of big 3/big 4 era. @felixtennis @holgerrune2003," she tweeted.
"I tried but today it wasn't possible" - Carlos Alcaraz after losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime
Carlos Alcaraz's Swiss Indoors campaign came to an end in the semifinals following his 6-3, 6-2 defeat to Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Spaniard, whose 12-match winning streak has come to an end, could not get the better of the Canadian, who is yet to lose a set in Basel.
After the match, the 19-year-old took to Twitter to thank fans for their support and stated that he'll next be in action at the Paris Masters.
"I tried, but today it wasn't possible! Thank you Basel for the support this week! Next stop: Paris!" he wrote.
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