ATP Finals: Felix sets up semifinal clash against top-ranked Alcaraz

TURIN(Italy): Felix Auger-Aliassime secured a big win over Alexander Zverev, the two-time titlist in the group stage of the ATP Finals, booking himself a semifinal clash against world number one, Carlos Alcaraz.

The Canadian outdid Zverev 6-4, 7-6(4) in a straight shootout, finishing second behind Italian star Jannik Sinner in the Bjorn Borg Group. Sinner had earlier defeated Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(3) to top the group.

Felix lost his first three sets of the week and looked set for an early exit from the tournament, but a comeback win over Ben Shelton and now removing a two-time ATP Finals champion Zverev from the equation will leave him with a lot of confidence.

“This is a high-value tournament for players,” said Auger-Aliassime, on the Alcaraz semis clash as quoted by ATP’s official website. “It is like a grand finale, and when you have a look at the list of champions, there have been many No. 1s. You want to be in the final, but I will have to go through a great player to do that. I will take my chance if I have it.”

By defeating Zverev, he also gained the 50th tour-level win of the season and became the second Canadian after Milos Raonic in 2016 to reach the ATP Finals semifinals. He also completed a clean sweep against Zverev for this year, having also won the third-round match at the US Open. But the German still holds the lead with a record of 6-4 in ATP Head-to-Head overall.

Both players struggled to maintain consistency in the second set, and Zverev, in particular, looked flustered. Despite letting three break points slip in the set earlier, the Canadian star maintained his temperament to come in clutch during the tie-break, winning the match in two hours and seven minutes.

“It was a great first set. He was getting a few chances, but I came up with big serves to save them,” said Auger-Aliassime.

The first set was very solid, and the start of the second set was, too. I had a lot of chances.”

“When that happens, you need to focus on the present, but you are aware of missed opportunities, so the match got a little tense from that moment. But I was able to hold serve, and in the tie-break, it was tight till the end,” concluded the world number five.

Felix is chasing his fourth title of the season, having won trophies in Adelaide, Montpellier, and Brussels already this year, and also holds a tour-leading 85 indoor wins this decade. (ANI)