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. The 25-year-old Montrealer finished second in the Bjorn Borg Group with a 2-1 record and will now face world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the elite season-ending event’s semifinals on Saturday.
Auger-Aliassime, seeded eighth in Turin, clinched the crucial break in the final game of the first set. Zverev, on the other hand, missed all four of his break point opportunities and committed 18 unforced errors in the second set, showing visible signs of frustration towards his team.
In the tiebreaker, Zverev’s error handed Auger-Aliassime two match points, with the Canadian needing just one as Zverev hit a long forehand. Auger-Aliassime, now ranked No. 5 in the ATP Live Rankings, reflected on the match, emphasizing his solid performance in the first set and the tense moments in the second set due to missed opportunities.
The victory improved Auger-Aliassime’s head-to-head record against Zverev to 4-6, with the Canadian winning both encounters this year. Meanwhile, Zverev, a two-time ATP Finals champion, dropped to 1-2 and failed to progress from the group stage along with American Ben Shelton (0-3).
In another match, defending champion and world No. 2 Jannik Sinner of Italy remained unbeaten to finish at the top of the group and will face No. 7 Alex de Minaur of Australia in the other semifinal. Auger-Aliassime is set to clash with Alcaraz, against whom he holds a 3-4 record, with the Spanish player winning their last four meetings.
As Auger-Aliassime prepares to face Alcaraz, he acknowledged the tournament’s significance and the challenge of competing against top players. Alcaraz secured the top spot in the Jimmy Connors group, guaranteeing himself the No. 1 ranking on the ATP Tour at the end of the season.
This marks Auger-Aliassime’s second appearance at the ATP Finals, having previously defeated Rafael Nadal but failing to advance from the group stage in 2022. Despite facing an early setback in this year’s tournament, Auger-Aliassime displayed resilience, bouncing back from an injury scare in his opening match to position himself for a shot at the semifinals.