De Minaur found his rhythm quickly when the match got under way in front of a sparse crowd.
The tennis failed to captivate as the seats on Arthur Ashe Stadium started to fill out, with a constant murmur of chatter acting as a soundtrack to the action.
A break was enough to seal the opening set for De Minaur and it looked like the second was heading in the same direction when Auger-Aliassime dropped serve to trail 3-2, but he struck back in the next game and saved a further break point.
After taking the second set on a tie-break, Auger-Aliassime broke to lead 3-2 in the third and De Minaur began to falter.
De Minaur, a tireless defensive player, wrestled the break back but Auger-Aliassime regained his advantage in the next game before closing out the set.
De Minaur took some time off court to gather himself before the fourth and returned re-energised.
An early break put him on track to set up a decider but, from 5-2 up, he lost his way and left the door ajar for Auger-Aliassime to force a tie-break.
The topsy-turvy encounter continued with each of the first five points going against serve before the 2021 US Open semi-finalist closed out the match after four hours and 13 minutes.