Felix Auger-Aliassime has lived out a lifelong 'dream' by beating Juan Pablo Varillas to claim his first-ever career victory at the Roland Garros Grand Slam.
Auger-Aliassime, seeded 9th at the 2022 Roland Garros, looked like he would not make it through his first-round clash at times. The young Canadian had to rally back from taking just four games from the opening two sets before winning the following three sets to seal passage into the second round.
After failing to make it past the first round in his previous two appearances at the Roland Garros, this was a big step for Auger-Aliassime, currently ranked number nine in the ATP standings.
However, the Canadian will hope to replicate his recent form from making at least the quarter-finals in his last three Grand Slams. When reflecting on his first-round triumph over Varillas, Auger-Aliassime couldn't help but express his joy at securing his first win at the French Open.
However, the 21-year-old also felt confident following a slow start to the contest and outlined some areas in his game that he utilized to get over the line.
"It's a dream for me, to play here, it's an honour. Court Philippe-Chatrier, first victory at Roland-Garros, I had to work hard to obtain it - it was a good opponent, who played a good match. Very satisfied with the way I finished. Even more with the ambiance at the finish, which was incredible."
"I needed a bit more space and a bit more time. My opponent at the beginning was playing very fast, very aggressive, was touching the good zone, hitting with good length."
"I have a few tools in my game to help me get more time. After that I was able to come back a bit, and I served better and better, and that helped make things easier for me as the match went on."
Auger-Aliassime started working with Rafael Nadal's former coach, Toni Nadal, last season, and the move appears to have paid off recently. The Canadian has shot into the ATP's Top 10 following an impressive start to the 2022 season, where he has already won two titles and reached another final.
Despite strong early-season form on the hard courts, Auger-Aliassime has struggled to bring his consistency from other events onto the clay surfaces.
He suffered early eliminations in Marrakech and at the Monte-Carlo Masters and reached the quarter-final stages in Barcelona, Estoril, Madrid, and Rome before kickstarting his Roland Garros campaign.