TURIN, Italy – Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated two-time champion Alexander Zverev and secured a spot in the ATP Finals semifinals on Friday. The prize for the Canadian is to face Carlos Alcaraz, who arrives after obtaining the number 1 ranking at the end of the year after winning all three matches in his group.
Auger-Aliassime, seeded number eight, achieved victory with scores of 6-4, 7-6 (4), joining Jannik Sinner, who advanced from the Bjorn Borg group. Previously, Sinner completed a sweep in his round-robin matches by defeating the already eliminated Ben Shelton with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (3). Sinner will face Alex de Minaur, seeded number seven, in the next phase. 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 set, before securing the set on his fourth opportunity. Zverev failed to convert any of his four break point opportunities and made 18 of his 27 unforced errors in the second set, during which he gestured repeatedly towards his team, apparently frustrated.This is a high-value tournament for the players. It’s like a grand final and, looking at the list of champions, there have been many number 1s.
Felix Auger-Aliassime
After seeing Alcaraz lift the trophy as the number 1 player shortly before his match, Sinner showed that he was still the man to beat in Turin. Motivated by an enthusiastic local crowd, the defending champion completed a flawless 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 kinds of matches, but you still have to come and do it.
Felix Auger-Aliassime
