“I'm not good enough yet to beat this type of guy”: beaten by Félix Auger-Aliassime, Arthur Cazaux saw the progress he still has to make

Auger-Aliassime était simplement plus fort, mercredi soir. Midi Libre – GIACOMO ITALIANO

Beaten again by a solid Félix Auger-Aliassime (6-4, 7-6 [5]) in the round of 16 of the Open Occitanie, Arthur Cazaux saw the little things he lacks to reach an additional level. That of the best.

This Thursday morning, he risks always having this end of the match in mind. And the regrets going with it. While he led 5-2 and two serves to follow in the tie break to equalize at one set all, Arthur Cazaux lost the next five points and the match at the same time. Failing at the same stage as last year, against the same opponent.

“I can blame myself in the end, conceded the Montpellier player, lucid, in a press conference. It's a professional fault to lose five points in a row. Overall, he was a little better. The previous times I lost to him, I felt like I had the place. This time, the margin was smaller, I didn't have the right to make a mistake.”

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The Hérault player understood this very quickly, Wednesday evening, with a Félix Auger-Aliassime (23rd) quite simply levitating from the first moments, breaking in the first game of the match. “I knew he was going to have a little tension from his first service game, explained FAA. I know because when I play at home in Montreal, I feel it a little bit. I thought that maybe he would have that pressure. But hey, I also had a good start.”

A great last hurrah

“Felix played the game very well, he was very aggressive and he took us by the throat a little bit, described the Montpellier coach, Sam Sumyk. He didn't give away any free points. Well done to him, but after that we held the bar.”

This is undoubtedly one of the great merits of his player: despite losing the first set and a new service at the start of the second, Cazaux came back from nowhere with a white break to equalize at 2-2 and save two new break points in the process to lead 3-2.

Even better, the current world number 101 started the deciding game in the best possible way with – among other things – two aces and a magnificent winning return. To be only two points away from a new decisive third set against his Canadian buddy. In vain.

“Win more”

“This kind of match shows the aspects of my game that I need to improve, Cazaux noted again. I'm not yet good enough to beat this type of guy, especially when he plays well.”

Under these conditions, what conclusions can we draw from the adventure of the 22-year-old Montpellier player, at home ? “He plays correctly, there are a lot of things to improve of course, but his level of play is rather interesting, Sam Sumyk related, Wednesday night.

“Now, the lessons after this defeat are a little hard, they're pretty much always the same, he continued. We're better than at the beginning of the year, a little bit in all areas. But we still have to win more, it's important. And I think it's possible, even against the best like tonight.”

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