"It's good that I grew up in Montreal, spending half the year indoors growing up" - Felix Auger-Aliassime on his key to success after beating Carlos Alcaraz in Basel SF

Felix Auger-Aliassime's brilliant run on indoor courts in 2022 continued on Saturday as the Canadian beat World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets in the semifinals of the Swiss Indoors Basel.

The World No. 9, therefore, continued his unbeaten run over the reigning US Open champion with his 6-3, 6-2 victory, recording his third straight victory over the Spaniard.

Speaking in his on-court interview afterward, the 22-year-old touched on his knack for playing on indoor courts, remarking that it helped that he grew up in Montreal, where he had to spend a lot of time playing in similar conditions due to the unusually cold winters that dominate the region.

"I guess it's good that I grew up in Montreal, you know. I mean, you guys know here as well but yeah, spending half the year indoors growing up, I guess it's paying off now," Felix Auger-Aliassime said, adding, "So I'm happy with the way of I've been playing but yeah, I guess so the indoors have been very fortunate to me and I've been playing some great tennis in the last couple of months."

Auger-Aliassime hoped to extend the same form he showed today to the final on Sunday as well, adding that it would be much better if he could take it into next season too and "keep going this way."

"I mean, I know that I can play well everywhere. It's been great and in the last few weeks like you said. So I'm really looking forward to what's to come normally tomorrow, but in the weeks to come and in the months to come, I feel like, you know, I can, I can play this level on and on and keep going this way," he stated.

Speaking about his performance against Alcaraz, the Canadian was proud of himself for his near-perfect display, noting that it felt great to beat the "best player in the world," especially in such a dominant fashion.

"Yeah, so far very close to perfect. I've been serving amazingly not getting broken once yet, so there is still one more match to go, but it's been a fantastic week. Played some great tennis. And again today against the best player in the world. It's an amazing win. So, I'm really happy with my level and hopefully, I can go all the way," he said.

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Felix Auger-Aliassime takes on Holger Rune or Roberto Bautista Agut in the final of the Swiss Indoors Basel

Felix Auger-Aliassime in action at the 2021 US Open

Following his victory over Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime will take on either Holger Rune or Roberto Bautista Agut in the final of the 2022 Swiss Indoors Basel. Irrespective of who it would be, the Canadian was certain that the crowd in Basel would be in for a treat on Sunday and that he was looking forward to the summit clash with great interest.

"Roberto, we played a few times. He's like the last guy who beat me in the last two, three weeks. So it would be an interesting match, he's a great player and then Holger as well. He's on the streak, you know, winning streak playing some, some great tennis and it would be the first meeting for us on tour," Felix Auger-Aliassime said.

"So, both matches would be exciting in front of a great crowd on a Sunday. There's nothing better. So that's what we trained for. That's what we played for and I'll be ready to go tomorrow," he added.