US Open 2020: Dominic Thiem vs Felix Auger-Aliassime preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: Dominic Thiem vs Felix Auger-Aliassime

Date: 7 September 2020

Tournament: US Open 2020

Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)

Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, USA

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $39,024,000

Match timing: Not before 2 pm EDT, 11.30 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel / ESPN | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP

Dominic Thiem vs Felix Auger-Aliassime preview

Dominic Thiem, the No. 2 seed at the 2020 US Open, has had a fairly smooth tournament so far. The Austrian played just two sets in his opening match against Jaume Munar before the latter retired due to injury, while his second-round match against India's Sumit Nagal was a straight-sets affair.

Thiem's third-round clash against 2014 champion Marin Cilic was his biggest challenge thus far, and it wasn't a surprise when he dropped his first set of the tournament. But the Austrian quashed the late comeback attempt from the 31st seed to win 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Felix Auger-Aliassime, meanwhile, has had a breakthrough tournament at Flushing Meadows this year. The youngster has set the courts on fire with his superb serving and forehand, drawing praise from all quarters.

So far this week, Auger-Aliassime has defeated Thiago Monteiro, Corentin Moutet and 2012 champion Andy Murray. The most impressive of those wins was the one against Moutet in the third round, where he blazed to a 6-1, 6-0, 6-4 demolition job while barely breaking a sweat.

The 20-year-old 15th seed seems be in the best form of his career so far, and will take some stopping.

Auger-Aliassime's clash against Thiem will be his maiden appearance in the Round of 16 at a Grand Slam.

Also check out: The complete US Open Schedule 2020

Dominic Thiem vs Felix Auger-Aliassime head-to-head

This is the first time that Dominic Thiem and Felix Auger-Aliassime will face off on tour. Their head-to-head is tied at 0-0 right now.

Dominic Thiem vs Felix Auger-Aliassime prediction

Felix Auger-Aliassime has been phenomenal in the tournament so far

This promises to be a tantalizing encounter between two really big hitters. Both Dominic Thiem and Felix Auger-Aliassime employ an offensive style of play, and are extremely entertaining to watch when on song.

Auger-Aliassime will rely heavily on his accurate and powerful serve against someone as quick as Thiem, in the hope of picking up a few easy points. Thiem's spin-heavy groundstrokes are difficult for any opponent to deal with, and the Canadian will need to be at the top of his game to stay with him in the rallies.

As the Austrian said in the build-up to the match, his experience of being in the second week of a Slam before might benefit him against the youngster. However, Auger-Aliassime has shown in this tournament that he's not scared of big games, or even of big names on the other side of the net.

Prediction: Felix Auger-Aliassime to win in five sets.