Felix Auger-Aliassime knocks out Alexander Zverev to book ATP Finals clash with Alcaraz

Felix Auger-Aliassime completed the feat at the ATP Finals and qualified for the semi-finals of the tournament, after defeating Alexander Zverev 6–4, 7–6(4). The Canadian—who had started his performance in the tournament with a loss—claimed his second consecutive victory at the ATP Finals and guaranteed his spot among the final four.

Auger-Aliassime has undoubtedly been one of the best players at the end of the season, fighting in recent months to secure a place in Turin—moving from barely the Top 20 to a place among the season's best eight in two months. His win guarantees him a clash against Carlos Alcaraz for a spot in the final, in addition to securing his best historical ranking as World No. 5 to end the season.

On the other hand, Zverev faces his second consecutive defeat—after losing to Sinner—and makes an early exit from the ATP Finals. He was the most experienced player in the draw, with 7 previous participations and two titles (2018, 2021), but he will not be able to advance further and concludes his season as World No. 3.

This result finalized the semi-final matchups for this Saturday in Turin: Carlos Alcaraz will face Felix Auger-Aliassime, while Jannik Sinner will face Alex de Minaur in search of the last final of the season.

Things looked even from the start, with both players holding their service games without complications early on. With the score at 2-2, the first risky opportunity of the match arrived, when Zverev had his first break point, but Felix saved it with a great first serve.

As the set developed, Zverev seemed closer to achieving the break, and had a new opportunity when the score was 4-4, but Felix once again stepped up. It was then that doubts appeared from Zverev—who had not conceded more than one point on his serve in any game, but this time faced a 0-40. The World No. 3 saved the three set points in a row, but as soon as he conceded the 4th opportunity to Felix, the Canadian took it and the set ended 6–4.

The affairs had been even, where Zverev had looked slightly closer to a break in the set, but ultimately, in the important moments, it was Felix who showed better play and greater determination. There were 12 winners for the German versus 10 for the Canadian, while in unforced errors it was 10 for Zverev against 9 for Auger-Aliassime, in a set where each won 50% of the points (30 and 30).

The serve continued to be a strength for both players at the start of the second set, but both players had opportunities after only a few games had passed. With the score at 2-1 in favor of Felix, the Canadian squandered two break points in his favor, and in the immediately following game, it was Zverev who squandered opportunities. The German began to look increasingly pressured on his serve, and by the 6th game he again had to save a break point—and overcome a time violation to maintain equality at 3-3.

These had been tumultuous moments in the set, with break points for both players, but neither managed to convert. Unforced errors came from both sides, and Zverev looked especially vulnerable on his second serves. When it seemed like everything would lead to a tie-break, Felix Auger-Aliassime managed to capitalize on the pressure on his rival and ended up taking the break that gave him the straight-sets victory 6–4, 7–6(4), which allows him to advance to the semi-finals of the ATP Finals for the first time in his career. It also guarantees his best ranking as World No. 5 and a duel against Carlos Alcaraz for a spot in the final.