When Felix Auger-Aliassime beat Ben Shelton in straight sets yesterday at Roland Garros, his confidence had a major boost. But, rather than focus on the past, he is already looking at his next opponent, world No. 3, Carlos Alcaraz. Will he be able to defeat the Spaniard with the same display of skills? Well, according to the Canadian player, it is a “big challenge.”

Carlos Alcaraz is back in the game after staying away because of an arm injury, which has kept him out of commission for a month now. However, as he returned to the French Open, Alcaraz had already acquired three consecutive victories. What lies ahead is his old rival, Felix Auger-Aliassime. The anticipation is high among fans, who will see them competing again after Indian Wells this year. And Auger Aliassime’s latest confession adds more intrigue to the subject.

After his latest victory, the Canadian appeared for a post-match interview where a reporter asked him, “You are one of the very few players with the head-to-head one against him. What do you expect from the match? And do you think it’s going to be a tight match?”

Auger Aliassime had a straightforward answer. “I have more and more belief in my game and what I do. So, I think I have all the reasons to believe that I can win. But obviously, we know what the challenge is. It’s tough.”

He further added, “It’s always a special match against him or Novak or or Jannik. We haven’t played in a while but uh these guys are yeah they’re always a big challenge. But I’m feeling better.”

While battling against Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime has won three times, a feat that is achieved by very few ATP players. Although the Spaniard has won two times as well, it will be their first clash on clay.

Auger Aliassime also recalled the first time that he played against the 21-year-old player and compared their current form and said, “Very different conditions now, first time since US Open a while ago when he was, you know, just 18  that we played in a grand slam, so um, all these things together make it different.” The former world No. 6 also revealed his strategy for his upcoming match against Carlos Alcaraz in the same interview.

Felix Auger-Aliassime wants to keep faith in his “own style” against Alcaraz

Last year, while Felix Auger-Aliassime got eliminated in the first round of the French Open, Carlos Alcaraz became a semifinalist in the tournament. One year later, the scenario is a bit different. Alcaraz has been struggling with his form owing to his injuries and wasn’t able to move past the quarterfinals in Madrid (his last match before the French Open). But on the other hand, the Canadian went on to the final and gave tough competition to world No. 6, Andrey Rublev. 

Therefore, Auger-Aliassime is quite confident in his current form on-court. Speaking about his strategy against the Spaniard, he recently said, “The important thing is to be faithful to my own style. I must try to make my strengths prevail. To be the one who leads the pace of the game and ensure that my tactical approach is the one in charge.”

Who are you rooting for in this exciting fourth-round clash? Let us know your picks in the comments below!