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 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over the 13th-seeded Bublik in the semifinals.
In the upcoming final on Sunday, the Canadian will go head-to-head against Italy’s Jannik Sinner, who dominated Germany’s Alexander Zverev with a 6-0, 6-1 victory in the later semifinal, edging closer to regaining the world No. 1 ranking.
Auger-Aliassime and Sinner have faced each other four times, with Sinner winning the last two encounters, including the semifinals at this year’s U.S. Open. The semifinal win also propelled Auger-Aliassime ahead of Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti to claim the eighth and final qualification spot for the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy next month.
Regardless of the final outcome on Sunday, Auger-Aliassime is set to carry a 90-point lead over Musetti into the upcoming Moselle Open in Metz, France next week, while Musetti is scheduled to compete in Athens.
Having already clinched titles in Adelaide, Montpellier, and Brussels this year, the 25-year-old Auger-Aliassime is eyeing his ninth career title and his first at the Masters level. The ninth seed in Paris, he overpowered Bublik in a 96-minute match on Saturday.
Expressing his excitement, Auger-Aliassime remarked, “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.”
Auger-Aliassime made a remarkable comeback from a 4-1 deficit in the second set of Saturday’s match, showcasing his prowess with 31 winners, including 17 on his forehand, and converting three out of four break points earned. Bublik, who started the second set strongly, faltered towards the end, losing five consecutive games and smashing his racket in frustration.
Serving for the match, Auger-Aliassime began with his 12th ace and sealed the victory with a powerful forehand shot, acknowledging the crowd with gratitude. Reflecting on his performance, he stated, “I know what I can do against the best players in the world, but you still have to go and execute.”