Felix Auger-Aliassime beat two-time champion Alexander Zverev and claimed the last spot in the semi-finals of the ATP Finals on Friday.
The Canadian’s reward? Carlos Alcaraz, who is fresh from claiming the year-end No. 1 ranking after winning all three of his group matches.
“This is a high value tournament for players,” Auger-Aliassime said. “It’s like a grand finale and when you have a look at the list of champions, there have been many No. 1s.”
Photo: REUTERS
“You want to be in the final, but I’ll have to go through a great player to do that. I will take my chance if I have it,” he said.
The eighth-seeded Auger-Aliassime won 6-4, 7-6 (4) to join Jannik Sinner in advancing from the Bjorn Borg group. Earlier, Sinner completed a sweep of his round-robin matches by dispatching already-eliminated Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Sinner was to face seventh-seeded Alex de Minaur in the semi-final last night after press time. The final is today.
Third-seeded Zverev and Auger-Aliassime knew the victor would advance to the semi-finals.
Auger-Aliassime appeared to deal with the nerves better than Zverev, especially in the second set, although he wasted three set points in the opener, before taking it on his fourth.
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 repeatedly gestured towards his team in apparent frustration.
He sent an easy return into the net to hand Auger-Aliassime two match points. The Canadian needed only one, as Zverev hit a forehand long.
It would be Auger-Aliassime’s first appearance in the semi-finals of the season-ending event for the top eight players.
“It feels amazing,” he said. ”I always believed that I could be in these moments, that I could win these type of matches, but you still have to come and do it.”
“Today was high in emotions I think for both of us ... and I played good when I needed to ... I’m blessed and so, so happy to be in the semifinals,” he added.
After seeing Alcaraz lift the trophy for the No. 1 player shortly before his match, Sinner proved he was still very much the man to beat in Turin, Italy.
Cheered on by a vocal home crowd, the defending champion completed a spotless group stage. Sinner has not lost a set, or service game, all week. The Italian also did not drop a set in his five matches last year on his way to the title.
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