King Felix? Auger Aliassime, 15, continues to rise

At just 14 years old, Felix Auger Aliassime cracked the top 800 of the ATP World Tour singles rankings. Barely more than one month after turning 15, he won the 2015 U.S. Open junior boys doubles title with fellow Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

In March he became the youngest player (14 years, 7 months) to qualify for a Challenger event.

The phenom’s rise continued last weekend when he captured a prestigious junior title at the Eddie Herr Championships in Bradenton, Fla. And he did it in style, too.

Auger Aliassime saved three championship points before outlasting 16-year-old Australian Alex De Minaur 6-3, 6-7 (6) 7-6 (3) in Sunday’s final. De Minaur led 5-4, 40-0 in the decider before Auger Aliassime stormed back. The champion also fought off three match points in a 2-6, 7-6 (8), 7-6 (2) third-round victory over Bulgaria’s Alexandar Lazarov.

“When I had match points (against me), it was just like, ‘Okay, that’s it, you have to go get your points, one at a time,'” Auger Aliassime told Zoo Tennis. “I was like, ‘I’ll do it again; I’ve already done it. I know I can do it.’ Win the next point, the second point and the one after that. [De Minaur] didn’t do anything wrong, he didn’t miss, he didn’t give me the points.”

“He obviously played a great match,” the runner-up said of Auger Aliassime. “Especially in the big moments, he came up with some incredible shots. I’ll give him all the credit that he deserves for pulling that out. I honestly thought I didn’t do much wrong. It was a great match from him.”

Great matches should expected early and often in his professional career, too. Auger Aliassime is already listed and 6’1” and certainly has the physical tools necessary to be successful in this era. Just ask De Minaur.

“I got pushed around a fair bit,” the Aussie admitted. “Obviously he hits the ball really big.”

But check out his footwork, too.

Match point of the Eddie Herr Championships:

First round of U.S. Open juniors:

Is the future now? Maybe not, but the future appears to be a bright one. There is plenty to like about Auger Aliassime’s game and–even at 15–no glaring weaknesses.

King Felix? We may want to get used to that moniker.

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