Two familiar opponents, Daniil Medvedev (AIN) and Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) are all set to take on each other in the R3 of the Paris Olympics. The Russian tennis star has come closer to clinching a title multiple times this year but has eventually failed to perform when it mattered the most. He has made it through to two finals, three SFs, and one QF this season. How far can he reach at the Olympics this year?

Well, FA2 perhaps has the right answer to this question at the moment. Even the 23-year-old Canadian has looked quite impressive this week. If we take a look at his performances this season, Aliassime has reached one final, one SF, and two QFs this season. It’ll be interesting to see how long can he withstand the world number 5’s challenge in Paris.

Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Daniil Medvedev: Preview

Auger-Aliassime defeated America’s Marcos Giron in the first round by 6-1,6-4 and in the second round, he yet again secured a dominating victory against Maximilian Merterer (GER). In the second-round clash, the Canadian hit 7 aces and committed 4 double faults. He won 85% of his service games and 59% of his return games. However, Auger-Aliassime could only convert 6/12 of his breakpoints against the German.

Medvedev on the other hand, thrashed Australia’s Rinky Hijikata by two sets in the first round. Then in the second round, he beat Austria’s Sebastian Ofner by 6-2,6-2. He scored 6 aces and committed just a single double in the entire match. His first serve win percentage was 73% but on the second serve it crept up to 78%. Medvedev converted 4/7 breakpoints against Ofner.

Auger-Aliassime vs Medvedev: Head-to-Head

Both of these tennis stars have met each other seven times in their careers so far. It has been a one-man show all the time! Medvedev currently leads the H2H scoreline by a clear-cut 7-0 margin. Medvedev has won 5 out of their 7 meetings in straight sets. Let’s take a look at some of the notable matches featuring these two tennis stars:

• Their first meeting was in the R32 of the ATP Masters 1000 Canada in 2018. In that match, Medvedev defeated Auger-Aliassime by 3-6,6-4,7-6(7).
• It has always been a one-sided battle, except for the QF clash of the 2022 AO. FA2 gave a tough fight to the Russian in that match, but eventually, Medvedev won the match by 6(4)-7,3-6,7-6(2),7-5,6-4.
• The most recent meeting of these two tennis players was in the R32 of this year’s AO. In that match, Medvedev secured a comfortable 6-3,6-4,6-3 victory over the Canadian.

Prediction: Medvedev to win in three sets

Both of these players have looked quite impressive this week. Although Medvedev reached the QF of the French Open in 2021, he has struggled a bit on this surface. His counter-punching style of play will be put to the test against the number 19. Medvedev has a win-loss record of 33-10 this season while for the Canadian it’s 22-16.

Medvedev’s powerful first serve along with long flat groundstrokes can put Auger-Aliassime into some real trouble if he doesn’t get the grip of the match right from the word go. The Russian tennis star is one of the best returners on the tour and also possesses a strong backhand. His weakness has majorly been his forehand.

Auger-Aliassime, on the other hand, loves playing forehands and he also possesses a strong serve. The Canadian is an extremely good mover on the courts and can easily generate power off both wings. He plays with high intensity at each point and this can wear down his opponent during long rallies.

However, we should keep in mind, that even Medvedev often tends to take a defensive approach and often plays lengthy baseline rallies to make his opponents tired. So, that won’t be much trouble for the Russian tennis star. If we consider all these factors then Medvedev looks clearly ahead of FA2 in this intriguing contest!