Auger-Aliassime eliminated by Schwartzman in Barcelona Open quarter-finals
Canadian falls in 2nd match of day after downing Frances Tiafoe in Round of 16
Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime fell to Argentina's Diego Schwartzman 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the Barcelona Open.
The 21-year-old from Montreal fell despite nailing eight aces in the match, while Schwartzman didn't record a single one.
Auger-Aliassime, the ninth-ranked player in the world, squandered opportunities in the match as he double-faulted four times and allowed Schwartzman to break him four times in six chances.
On the opposite end, the 15th-ranked Argentine saved eight of 10 break-point tries Auger-Aliassime had and played a more solid game, winning 64 per cent of his service points compared to 59 per cent the Canadian managed.
WATCH | Schwartzman comes from behind to beat Auger-Aliassime:
Schwartzman will see Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta, ranked 19th in the world, in the semifinals of the clay-court event.
It was Auger-Aliassime's second match of the day, after he beat American Frances Tiafoe in straight sets in the Round of 16 by a score of 7-5, 6-4.
WATCH | Auger-Aliassime downs Tiafoe in straight sets:
Alcaraz beats top-seeded Tsitsipas to reach semis
Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz thrilled the home crowd by beating top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets to advance to the semifinals of the Barcelona Open on Friday.
Alcaraz won the quarter-final 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 after breaking the fifth-ranked Greek five times on the outdoor clay court named for Rafael Nadal.
OLÉ CARLITOS! 🇪🇸🙌<a href="https://twitter.com/alcarazcarlos03?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@alcarazcarlos03</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/bcnopenbs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bcnopenbs</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BCNOpenBS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BCNOpenBS</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ys4gXTrGCu">pic.twitter.com/Ys4gXTrGCu</a>
—@atptourThe 18-year-old Alcaraz is aiming for his third title of the season after he won at Rio de Janeiro in February and in Miami this month.
Before facing the 11th-ranked Alcaraz, Tsitsipas needed just over an hour to beat Grigor Dimitrov 6-1, 6-4. Alcaraz similarly eased past fellow countryman Jaume Munar 6-3, 6-3.
Tsitispas looked finished when he was trailing Alcaraz by a set and 4-1. He fought to pull level with the youngster, but Alcaraz dominated the third set.
Alcaraz will face Alex de Minuar on Saturday after the Australian beat fourth-seeded Cameron Norrie 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.
With files from CBC Sports and The Associated Press
