Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime secured a spot in the Paris Masters tennis tournament final by defeating Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in straight sets on Saturday. Auger-Aliassime, hailing from Montreal, emerged victorious with a score of 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the semifinal against the 13th-seeded Bublik.
In the upcoming final on Sunday, the Canadian will face Italy’s Jannik Sinner, who dominated Germany’s Alexander Zverev with a convincing 6-0, 6-1 win in the later semifinal match on Saturday. Sinner’s outstanding performance puts him closer to reclaiming the world No. 1 ranking.
The head-to-head record between Auger-Aliassime and Sinner stands at 2-2, with Sinner winning their last two encounters, including the semifinals at this year’s U.S. Open. With this semifinal victory, Auger-Aliassime surpassed Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti to secure the eighth and final qualification spot for the ATP Finals next month in Turin, Italy.
Irrespective of the final outcome on Sunday, Auger-Aliassime will carry a 90-point lead over Musetti into the following week’s Moselle Open in Metz, France, as Musetti is scheduled to compete in Athens during the same period.
Auger-Aliassime, who has already claimed titles this year in Adelaide, Montpellier, and Brussels, is aiming for his ninth career title and his first at the Masters level. The ninth seed in Paris, he defeated Bublik in a swift 96-minute match on Saturday.
Expressing his excitement, Auger-Aliassime mentioned, “A Masters 1000 final sounds really good. You don’t play those finals every week. Hopefully, I can go all the way and get the title.”
During the match, Auger-Aliassime staged a remarkable comeback from a 4-1 deficit in the second set. His impressive performance included hitting 31 winners, with 17 coming from his forehand, and successfully converting three out of four break points earned.
Bublik, despite a strong start in the second set, faltered towards the end, losing five consecutive games and displaying frustration by smashing his racket on the ground during one of the points.
Auger-Aliassime sealed the victory while serving for the match, commencing with his 12th ace. A forehand winner at the net granted him a match point, which he clinched with another powerful forehand. The Canadian player expressed his confidence, stating, “I know what I can do against the best players in the world, but you still have to go and execute.”