Lopez downs youngster Auger-Aliassime to set up Simon final at Queen's

Feliciano Lopez ended Felix Auger-Aliassime's run at Queen's as he claimed a 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-4 victory on Saturday.

Published : Jun 23, 2019 00:54 IST

Felix Auger-Aliassime's impressive run at the Queen's Club Championships came to an end as Feliciano Lopez fought back from a set down to set up a final with Gilles Simon.

Eighth-seed Auger-Aliassime stunned Stefanos Tsitsipas on Friday, with the Greek subsequently lauding the 18-year-old as "the most difficult opponent" he has ever faced, but he came undone against Lopez, with the Spaniard coming out on top 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-4.

The Canadian edged a tight first set on a tie-break but he fell 2-0 down in the second after dropping his first service game of the week following 44 consecutive holds.

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That was all Lopez needed to level the match and he further strengthened his grip by breaking to lead 3-2 in the decider.

Auger-Aliassime saved four match points at 3-5 but Lopez got it done in the next game to move into his third Queen's final.

Lopez will face Simon, who beat Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-3 in Saturday's other semifinal.

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A thrilling contest was settled when the Russian, troubled by a lower back injury, double-faulted to hand Simon a 3-5, third-set lead which he duly converted.

"It was hard to recover for this one. Daniil and I practise together and we knew it was going to be tough," said Simon.

"It's hard for me to hit through him, but when you play a match and you're a bit tired, sometimes you relax and play great. I was feeling the ball great, even if I wasn’t feeling great in the legs."

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