For maybe the first time all tournament, Felix Auger-Aliassime didn’t know what to do or what to say.

Double faults crippled the 18-year-old’s chances of serving out the first and second sets against defending champion John Isner during their Miami Open presented by Itau semi-final on Friday.

And Auger-Aliassime, who has had every answer on the court and off it during his historic semi-final run, was somewhat speechless as he tried to describe what happened.

“It’s a chance you can’t miss, serving two times for the set, and just, I don’t know. It’s just terrible,” said Auger-Aliassime, who lost 7-6(3), 7-6(4).

“For sure, nerves. It’s like I caught a virus or something. I don’t know. I couldn’t put a second serve anymore. Even the first serve, if you put it in, you don’t have to hit the second serve. Yeah, that’s just very tough to swallow.”

It shouldn’t, however, take the #NextGenATP Canadian long to reflect on his maiden ATP Masters 1000 semi-final run and realise just what he has achieved.

Auger-Aliassime became the youngest semi-finalist in the tournament’s 35-year history. The qualifier won seven matches and knocked off Dominic Thiem’s conqueror Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, 17^th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia and 11^th seed Borna Coric of Croatia.

“It was a very good tournament for Felix, that’s what we have to remember. And of course, he will learn from this kind of match. It’s another experience. But congrats to John because he was able to come back twice,” Frederic Fontang, one of Auger-Aliassime’s coaches, told ATP Radio.

The Canadian became the first teenager to make the Miami semi-finals since 19-year-olds Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray played in the 2007 semi-finals. And Auger-Aliassime also will be the first player born in the 2000s to break into the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings. He’s currently No. 57 but is projected to climb to around No. 33 when the new rankings are released on Monday.

“The biggest lesson was to stay in the present and believe in yourself, because you can always dig deep and find resources within yourself. So I think that’s a huge lesson to not give up, stay calm, and just work every day,” Auger-Aliassime said.

The teenager didn’t think fatigue got the best of him, despite his seven matches coming into the semi-final. It was just a case of the nerves, he said, and he’s already eager for another opportunity.

“I didn’t feel like it was the focus or concentration. I just felt like the nerves got to me a little. I wasn’t able to do like all the other matches and just focus on what I had to do, and it really got to me too hard,” he said.

“I felt like I was connecting a few good returns. I still broke him twice, which is not easy. I felt like my return game was good today, but obviously he puts a lot of pressure on your serve. And even on second serves he goes around, hits hard. So I have to figure out a way to get better on that and try to handle him better next time.”

John Isner spoke of #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime’s bright future ahead of their Miami Open presented by Itau semi-final on Friday afternoon. But Isner wouldn’t let the Canadian’s growing stardom stop his dream of a title defence, halting Felix’s impressive run with a hard-earned 7-6(3), 7-6(4) victory, extending his tie-break record in the tournament to 9-0 to reach the championship match. 

Last year in Miami, at Crandon Park, Isner became the oldest first-time ATP Masters 1000 champion. And while the tournament moved to a new venue, at Hard Rock Stadium, the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals qualifier has shown equally good tennis, advancing to the final — against three-time champion Roger Federer of #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov — without dropping a set.

The key to the match was Auger-Aliassime’s inability to close out either set on his serve. Those moments were perhaps the only time this tournament that Felix appeared his age, 18, with double faults proving costly in the crucial moments. And once the defending champion battled to tie-breaks, momentum was on his side, and he rode those mini-waves to more tie-break success. Entering the tournament, he was just 7-10 in tour-level tie-breaks this year.

Isner also will retain his spot inside the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings thanks to his efforts. The American earned 1,000 points with his title last year, so he needed to make at least the final to guarantee that he would not drop from the elite group. The World No. 9 will move up one spot to No. 8 if he captures his second Masters 1000 trophy.

Auger-Aliassime, the first qualifier to reach the Miami semi-finals since Guillermo Canas in 2007, remained calm and focused through the match’s first nine games, playing aggressive-but-controlled tennis from the baseline to dominate early action, breaking for 4-3. But Felix hit his first three double faults of the match — all into the net — as he tried to close out the opener, allowing Isner back into the set. 

While Isner began to put many more returns into play towards the end of the first set and at the beginning of the second, Auger-Aliassime was still able to earn the advantage. The teen camped on a backhand return at 3-2 in the Ad court, elicitng a forehand shank from the American to earn a break for 4-2. But serving for the set at 5-3, a double fault long gave Isner two opportunities to get back on serve, and after dismissing the first chance, Auger-Aliassime hit a swinging volley into the net to allow the 6’10” right-hander back on serve.

Isner, who had only been broken twice in 48 service games in the tournament before this semi-final, was broken twice by the young Canadian. But he added 21 aces to his tournament-leading tally of 98 to advance after one hour and 53 minutes.

Auger-Aliassime was trying to become the youngest Masters 1000 finalist since Michael Chang at Toronto in 1990. The teenager was already the youngest semi-finalist in Miami tournament history. Felix will become the first player born in the 2000s to crack the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings on Monday, when he moves to a career-high of around No. 33.

Did You Know?
– Twelve of Isner’s 14 ATP Tour titles have come in the United States. The American lifted his other two trophies in Auckland.
– Felix entered this match 5-0 against opposition inside the Top 20.