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

Canada has officially punched its ticket to the Davis Cup Final 8 this November, and Felix Auger-Aliassime had a lot to do with it.

The world No. 5 capped a remarkable two days of tennis by rallying past Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 Saturday at the Videotron Centre, clinching Canada's 3-1 victory over France in its best-of-five second-round qualifier.

The decisive victory came just 35 minutes after Auger-Aliassime had walked off the court following a doubles loss alongside Duncan Chan. It was his third match in two days, having also defeated Quentin Halys in three sets Friday.

"I don't really have words," said Canada captain Frank Dancevic. "It's incredible for the Davis Cup, for the country to have a player like that who can play at his level, playing singles and doubles and being in shape to play three matches over two days. It's not easy."

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

"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."

Auger-Aliassime, Draxl give Canada 2-0 lead over France in Davis Cup qualifier in Quebec City

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.