Basel Open 2022: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime Tennis Pick and Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2022 Basel Open as Carlos Alcaraz take on Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semifinal on Saturday, October 29th, 2022.

Grab your popcorn and get ready for a gripping semifinal clash at the Basel Open as World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz faces the ATP’s winning machine in Felix Auger-Aliassime for a spot in the final. Who will come out on top?

Carlos Alcaraz has bounced back from the brink of elimination in his opening-round match at the Basel Open and navigated his way into the semifinals unscathed. Alcaraz dodged an upset against Jack Draper as he recovered to win that match in three sets. It followed his shock defeat in Astana where a relatively flat Alcaraz was beaten by David Goffin in straight sets. But the Spaniard was quick to tick off that loss as a just a minor blip in a sensational season. Playing in just his second indoor hard-court tournament of 2022, the 19-year-old progressed into the last four by beating compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3 6-4. He saved four of five break points.

Felix Auger-Aliassime, meanwhile, continues to dominate the men’s tour this autumn. With two titles in the bag in his last two tournaments, the Canadian powerhouse will be looking for his 12th win on the trot when he takes on Alcaraz in the Basel Open semifinal. Auger-Aliassime endured a rocky road at the start of the tournament, needing three sets to overcome home favorite Marc-Andrea Huesler. But since then, he has looked unstoppable, beating Kecmanovic 6-1 6-0 in just 49 minutes and then dispatching Alexander Bublik 6-2 6-3 in another clinical display in Friday’s semifinal.

Felix Auger-Aliassime leads Carlos Alcaraz 2-0 in their head-to-head. Their first meeting ended in a retirement win for the Canadian at the US Open last summer. And it was Auger-Aliassime who claimed the bragging rights in their Davis Cup singles rubber in mid-September. There is hardly going to be an empty seat at Basel Open on Saturday as these two players battle for a spot in the final. By dint of ranking, Alcaraz comes in as a slight favorite, but Auger-Aliassime has been a menace when it comes to finding his spot behind his first serve. His serving display against Djokovic at the Laver Cup was one of the best when it comes to finding the right balance between power and placement behind the first serve. Alcaraz is not in Djokovic’s class just yet, but he is a great returner and will hustle to get the ball back in play. But whether he will succeed most of the time is entirely a different matter. Unless Auger-Aliassime has a substantial serving yip (which I don’t envisage) he has to be backed to make yet another final.