Jannik Sinner’s title defence at the US Open has been a successful one so far, having dropped just one set en route to the semifinals.
The world number one has torn through his quarter of the draw, with dominant wins over seeded stars such as Alexander Bublik and Lorenzo Musetti.
Sinner is now faced with Felix Auger-Aliassime, who he currently has a losing record against at ATP Tour-level events.
Despite trailing in their head-to-head, the Italian emerged victorious over the Canadian in their most recent bout, which came just weeks ago at the Cincinnati Open.
Ahead of Sinner‘s first meeting at a Grand Slam with Auger-Aliassime, former US Open champion Andy Roddick pinpointed what the challenger will need to do to overcome the champion.
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty ImagesAndy Roddick explains how Felix Auger-Aliassime can beat Jannik Sinner
In an episode of ‘Served’, Roddick said of the world number 27: “Listen, he has to serve great. He has to take a lot of risks on his second serve, right?
“When Sinner gets a second serve and he knows where it’s going, I always make the parallel between, not too far away from here, we have had some pretty good baseball players, right?
“If Babe Ruth knew what was coming, it wasn’t going to end well for the pitcher. If Aaron Judge knows what’s coming, it’s not going to end well for the pitcher.
“If Sinner knows what’s coming, it’s not going to end well for the opponent.
“That’s why Carlos has a decent head-to-head, it’s because Carlos has so much variety, right? He can hit the chip, he can come in. He’s so well-versed in so many different parts of the court.
“FAA can’t be predictable. If he’s neutral in a rally, he’s behind, right? That needs to be the mentality, if I’m his coach.
“And that’s going to manifest in some irresponsible errors. He has to be able to live with those, right, and then you’re going to get the people going, ‘well, he shouldn’t miss that ball’.
“I promise you he’s good enough not to miss that ball. It’s because if you leave that ball hanging in the wrong part of the court, Darth Sinner comes in and finishes him off.”
Felix Auger-Aliassime’s last victory against Jannik Sinner
Before his heavy defeat to Sinner in Cincinnati last month, Auger-Aliassime had only played the four-time major champion on hard court once before.
That match was also at the Cincinnati Open in 2022, when, in the fourth round of the ATP Masters 1000 event, he came out on top in three sets.
YearEventRoundWinner2025Cincinnati OpenQuarterfinalsSinner (6-0, 6-2)2022Cincinnati OpenFourth RoundAuger-Aliassime (2-6, 7-6, 6-1)2022Madrid OpenFourth RoundAuger-Aliassime (6-1, 6-2)Felix Auger-Aliassime’s head-to-head record with Jannik Sinner
Though he has beaten Sinner more times than he has lost to him, Auger-Aliassime’s final four opponent has come on leaps and bounds in the last few years.
It will be tough for him to get the better of the 24-year-old, who has not been bested at a hard-court major since 2023.