Paris Masters Round-Up: Bublik and Auger-Aliassime storm into semis with ATP Finals hopes alive

The quarter-finals of the Paris Masters are underway, and the first two semi-finalists of the tournament have been decided. The Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime continues his campaign and dispatched the recent Shanghai Masters champion Valentin Vacherot in a straightforward victory that brings him closer to qualifying for the ATP Finals.

On the other hand, Alexander Bublik is on an epic run in Paris, reaching the semi-finals of a Masters 1000 for the first time after overcoming World No. 7 Alex de Minaur in a tight match. The Kazakh still keeps a remote chance of qualifying for the ATP Finals alive.

Félix Auger-Aliassime secured a notable victory against Valentin Vacherot (No. 40) – the recent Shanghai champion – 6-2, 6-2. The Monegasque brought a record of 12 wins in his last 14 appearances – including victories this week against Lehečka (No. 18), Rinderknech (No. 29), and Norrie (No. 31). However, he could not stand up to the service of Auger-Aliassime, which was once again the highlight of his performance.

Felix won 89% of points with his first serve and 75% with his second – far exceeding Vacherot's 53% and 48%, respectively. Auger-Aliassime conceded barely 6 points on his serve throughout the match, and only encountered difficulties in his final service game. After securing 4 breaks on 8 opportunities, Auger-Aliassime only faced service pressure at 5-2 in the second set, but saved both break points against him to close the victory without complications 6-2, 6-2.

Felix Auger-Aliassime's victory puts him in the semi-finals of a Masters 1000 tournament for the 4th consecutive time. The Canadian has 21 wins in his last 25 appearances, including campaigns reaching the quarter-finals in Cincinnati, Shanghai, and Basel, semi-finals at the US Open, and a title in Brussels.

In Paris, he is once again among the final four and is just one victory away from a spot in the ATP Finals. The 25-year-old player is only 90 points away from Lorenzo Musetti in the ATP Race. If he advances to the final in Paris, he will secure his spot in Turin. If he loses, he will still have one last chance at the ATP 250 Moselle Open next week – where he would again need another couple of wins to achieve the comeback he has been building for months.

Another victory for World No. 16 Alexander Bublik, who secured his 15th victory against a top-10 player – and 6th of the season – after defeating the Australian Alex de Minaur (No. 7) 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-5. The Kazakh came back from a set down to secure an important victory that takes him to the semi-finals of a Masters 1000 for the first time.

Neither player managed to take a clear advantage in the first set. A poor 52% first serve percentage from De Minaur was compensated by good effectiveness on his second serve; Bublik focused his game on his 82% of points won with the first serve (compared to 78% for De Minaur) – while only reaching 15% with the second, far from the Australian player's 57%. With no breaks in between, they reached the tie-break, where De Minaur recovered from 3-5 down and closed the set in his favor 7-6(5).

Towards the second set, it was Bublik who took a break, right in the third game, and took the lead in the match, holding onto his serve to close the set in his favor. Everything was decided in the third set, maintaining parity with no break points until 4-4. It was there that Bublik threatened with his first opportunities, and although he did not take them at that moment, it was only a matter of time. With the score 5-5, the break would come for Bublik, and then he would close out a memorable victory with a flawless service game.

Bublik continues to make headlines in the final part of the year, following a recent streak of victories. This season, he was outside the top-80 in early March, but since then has climbed consistently in the ranking through wins. He won 4 titles and secured his best historical ranking as No. 13 – although if he advances to the final, he could climb to No. 11. His next challenge will be against Félix Auger-Aliassime, as both remain alive for ATP Finals qualification.