Vienna Open: The 3 components of Marton Fucsovics' victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime

2018 China Open - Day 7
2018 China Open - Day 7

On one side, an 18-year-old Canadian Wildcard and on the other, a hungry Hungarian looking to improve on his 2nd round exit in the Shanghai Masters last week. It was an exciting start to the main draw of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. This was a match studded with good forehands by both players but was also marred by many unforced errors.

While the main headline makers are in action later in the day, this clash was by no means a lesser one. The contest which went to the decider had two completely one-sided sets. The final set though, totally compensated for that with riveting tennis from both sides of the court.

In the end it was the more experienced Marton Fucsovics who got the better of the flamboyant teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime opponent. He won the match to complete a magical comeback. The match, of course, had all the 3 parts that make a magic trick great present. The Pledge, The Turn, and The Prestige.

The Pledge: Conceding an early break

No one would have thought that the totally inexperienced player would be the one to get off to a quick start. The more experienced Fucsovics faltered first, surrendering a break and going 0-3 down.

Auger-Aliassime used his forehand to good effect during this assault, well assisted by a variety of serves. He got yet another break in the 6th game of the set to serve it out. He held comfortably as his opponent produced an ordinary showing.

Even though the European hit too many unforced errors, the reason for the scoreline being 1-6 was more due to the intense pressure applied by the youngster. This should be traced back to the early break, as that's what made sure Felix Auger-Aliassime start feeling at home and helped him settle into the match.

The Turn: An Admirable Hold

2018 China Open - Day 7
2018 China Open - Day 7

Marton Fucsovics needed to pull a rabbit out of his hat to get himself into the match. He did exactly what was needed, getting a break in his opponent's first service game of the 2nd set. But that wasn't the turning point as he had to fight hard to consolidate the break.

Auger-Aliassime turned it on yet again, making sure his challenger had to serve again and again. But the Hungarian managed to hold serve after 5 deuces, and that just spurred him on. He broke the North American for the 2nd time in the very next game to go 4 love up.

The shoulders of the youngster dropped as he knew he couldn't come back into the set. Marton totally dominated the second set, destroying his young adversary and winning it 6-0. With that Fucsovics had come back, turning his fairly ordinary game in the first set into something extraordinary in the second.

The Prestige: A Highly Competitive Set

Rogers Cup Toronto - Day 3
Rogers Cup Toronto - Day 3

Fucsovics had made the quality of Auger-Aliassime disappear in the second set. He got off to an early lead yet again in the 3rd set. But, his opponent broke back in the very next game. He immediately broke serve again, but Felix bounced back yet again, breaking his rival's serve in the 7th game.

The match almost seemed like it would be decided in a tie-break when Aliassime went 30-15 up on serve in the 12th game. But Fucsovics used his power game to great effect to create a break point, albeit not converting. He got another break point, this time making full use with a purposeful move forward and landing his shot to complete a good victory.

Marton Fucsovics displayed all 3 components of a great magic trick, The Pledge, the Turn and the Prestige on the way to Round 2.