Montreal’s Félix Auger-Aliassime secured a spot in the ATP Finals semifinals for the first time in his career by defeating Germany’s Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6 (4) on Friday. Auger-Aliassime, 25, achieved a 2-1 record in the round-robin stage, finishing second in the Bjorn Borg Group. He will now face top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the semifinals of the prestigious season-ending tournament.
The Canadian, seeded eighth in Turin, clinched the crucial break in the final game of the first set. Despite Zverev having four break point opportunities, he failed to convert any and committed 18 of his 27 unforced errors in the second set, visibly displaying frustration towards his team. Auger-Aliassime capitalized on Zverev’s mistakes, winning the match with a confident performance in the tiebreaker.
Reflecting on his victory, Auger-Aliassime commented on his solid play in the first set and acknowledged the tense moments in the match. He highlighted the importance of staying focused and seizing opportunities. With this win, he has risen to No. 5 in the ATP Live Rankings.
Auger-Aliassime now holds a 4-6 record against Zverev, having defeated him twice this year, including at the U.S. Open. In contrast, Zverev, a two-time ATP Finals champion, finished with a 1-2 record and failed to progress from the group stage alongside American Ben Shelton (0-3).
In another match, defending champion and world No. 2 Jannik Sinner of Italy emerged victorious against Shelton with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) scoreline, securing the top spot in the group. Sinner will face No. 7 Alex de Minaur of Australia in the semifinals.
Looking ahead to his semifinal clash with Alcaraz, Auger-Aliassime acknowledged the tournament’s significance and the challenge posed by his opponent. Alcaraz, who topped the Jimmy Connors group by winning all his matches, is set to finish the season as the ATP Tour’s No. 1 player.
This marks Auger-Aliassime’s second appearance at the ATP Finals, with his previous participation in 2022 resulting in a win against Rafael Nadal but falling short in advancing beyond the group stage. Despite facing an early setback in this year’s tournament, Auger-Aliassime displayed resilience by bouncing back from his initial loss to Sinner and securing a chance to progress further.
