TURIN, Italy – Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Alexander Zverev, the tournament’s two-time champion, thus securing his place in the ATP Finals semi-finals this Friday. The Canadian tennis player will face Carlos Alcaraz, who arrives with the number 1 ranking after winning all his group matches.
Auger-Aliassime, seeded number eight, won with partials of 6-4, 7-6 (4), joining Jannik Sinner in the classification from the Bjorn Borg group. Previously, Sinner 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. The final will be played on Sunday. Both Zverev, seeded number three, and Auger-Aliassime, knew that the winner would advance to the semifinals. Auger-Aliassime handled his nerves better than Zverev, especially in the second set, despite squandering three set points in the first, finally winning the set on his fourth opportunity. Zverev failed to convert any of his four break opportunities and committed 18 of his 27 unforced errors in the second set, repeatedly showing gestures of frustration towards his team.This is a tournament of great value for the players, it’s like a grand final and when you see the list of champions, there have been many number 1s.
Felix Auger-Aliassime
After seeing Alcaraz lift the trophy as number 1, Sinner proved to be the rival to beat in Turin. Supported by an enthusiastic local fanbase, the defending champion completed an impeccable group stage. Sinner has not lost a set, nor a service game, all week. The Italian also did not lose a set in his five matches last year, on his way to the title.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. Today there was a lot of emotion for both of us and I played well when it was necessary. I feel blessed and very happy to be in the semifinals.
Felix Auger-Aliassime
