Auger-Aliassime leads Canada past France 3-1 to move on to Davis Cup Final 8

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Auger-Aliassime’s efforts this weekend were also not lost on the opposition.

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“It’s not easy to play singles Friday, commit to playing doubles and then returning to play singles afterward,” said French captain Paul-Henri Mathieu. “We have to give him credit.”

Auger-Aliassime fired 17 aces and committed just one double fault in his two-hour, 21-minute victory over Rinderknech, winning his 10th consecutive Davis Cup singles match in the process. He now owns a 15-5 record in the competition.

Rinderknech took the opening set after breaking Auger-Aliassime in the ninth game, but the Canadian responded by squeaking out the second-set tiebreak after falling behind 3-0.

Another ninth-game break proved decisive in the final set. Auger-Aliassime converted the opportunity, then held serve to send Canada through to the Final 8.

“I told myself to stay calm,” Auger-Aliassime said of serving for the match. “The fans were celebrating as if the match was already over. There was still a game left to be played.”

Rinderknech credited Auger-Aliassime for coming through when it mattered most.

“Felix is a really great player,” said Rinderknech. “He proved today why he is so difficult to beat. I knew I was capable of beating him. I’ve done it before. It just didn’t go my way today.”

The victory capped an especially significant weekend for Auger-Aliassime, who was playing Davis Cup competition for the first time in two years and in his home province for the first time.

The 26-year-old has close ties to the area. His father, Sam, operates a nearby tennis academy where Auger-Aliassime spent much of his childhood training.

“It carries a lot of significance for me,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Yes, we will probably remember our level or the ups and downs of the match, but I think we will remember more the emotions we lived through as a team.”

The Quebec crowd certainly made its presence felt. A total of 22,340 fans attended over the two days, establishing a new Canadian Davis Cup attendance record and surpassing the previous mark of 21,842 set over three days in Ottawa in 2017.

“The Canadian crowd and the fans in Quebec have no ego or jealousy when it comes to supporting their sports heroes,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Wherever I go, when I see Canadians, there’s always a positive word said to me. It is the energy you want as a tennis nation and a community.”

Auger-Aliassime also remains hopeful this weekend’s tie will have long-term ramifications for the sport, both provincially and nationwide.

“The goal of hosting the Davis Cup is to inspire tennis players, young and old and to allow tennis to shine on a large stage,” he said. “I hope that a tie like this will have an even greater impact.

“It’s about more than two days of tennis. If it can inspire a youngster to play tennis, go to university because of tennis or become a professional, it would be magnificent.”

Auger-Aliassime opened Saturday’s schedule in doubles with Chan, falling to French veterans Benjamin Bonzi and Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-6 (4), 6-3.

The French pair saved a set point before taking the opening-set tiebreak and then secured the lone break of the second set in the eighth game.

“They were serving incredible,” Chan said. “I really couldn’t get comfortable on the return because they were just stretching me, putting away everything and not making any mistakes.”

The defeat marked France’s first Davis Cup loss to Canada in four meetings. The 10-time champions also failed to reach the Final 8 for the sixth time in the last seven years.

Canada, meanwhile, will make its return to the Davis Cup Final 8 for the first time since 2024.

For Auger-Aliassime, however, the weekend was about more than the end result for Team Canada. It was also about the people who came out to experience it alongside them.

“We are witnessing a successful time period for tennis in Canada,” he said. “I am happy that people are coming to encourage us during these moments. I felt it all throughout the weekend. No matter what was happening on the court, throughout the ups and downs, the crowd was with us.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2026.

Jordan Stoopler, The Canadian Press