TURIN, Italy – Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated two-time champion Alexander Zverev and secured his place in the ATP Finals semifinals on Friday. The Canadian tennis player will face Carlos Alcaraz, who arrives after securing the number 1 ranking by winning his three group matches.
Auger-Aliassime, seeded number eight, achieved victory with scores of 6-4, 7-6 (4), joining Jannik Sinner, who had already advanced from the Bjorn Borg group. Sinner, for his part, completed a perfect group stage by defeating Ben Shelton, already eliminated, with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (3). Sinner will face Alex de Minaur, seeded number seven, in the next round. The final is scheduled for Sunday. Zverev, seeded number three, and Auger-Aliassime knew that the winner would advance to the semifinals. Auger-Aliassime seemed to handle the nerves better than Zverev, especially in the second set, although he wasted three set points in the first, before securing the set on his fourth attempt. Zverev couldn’t convert any of his four break point opportunities and committed 18 of his 27 unforced errors in the second set, showing frustration towards his team.This is a tournament of great value for the players. It’s like a grand final and when you look at the list of champions, there have been many number 1s.
Felix Auger-Aliassime
It feels incredible. I always believed I could be in these moments, that I could win these types of matches, but you still have to come and do it.
Felix Auger-AliassimeAfter seeing Alcaraz lift the trophy as number 1 shortly before his match, Sinner showed that he remains the man to beat in Turin. Fueled by an enthusiastic local fanbase, the defending champion completed a flawless group stage. Sinner hasn’t lost a set, nor a service game, all week. The Italian also didn’t lose a set in his five matches last year on his way to the title.
