Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Ben Shelton at the ATP Finals to set up a mouthwatering match with Alexander Zverev to determine who makes the semifinal.
Auger-Aliassime praised Jannik Sinner after losing to him in his first round robin match and managed to bounce back with aplomb against Shelton.
Auger-Aliassime admitted he found the match strange, but he won’t mind one bit as he now knows that a victory over Zverev will see him make the semifinals.
Andy Roddick has sung the praises of Auger-Aliassime of late, and a brilliant Asian and indoor swing has led to him being an automatic qualifier for the ATP Finals in the first place.
Felix Auger-Aliassime continues dominance over ATP stars in one area
Going into this tournament, no player on the ATP Tour had won more matches via a deciding set than Auger-Aliassime.
After his comeback victory over Shelton, the Canadian performer has kept up an impressive record of winning matches in deciding sets.
He’s now comfortably above anyone else on the ATP Tour with 20 wins in deciding sets during the 2025 campaign.
Naturally, he would clearly like to win more of his matches in a more comfortable fashion, but the fact that he’s getting through is at least a positive.
The challenge for Auger-Aliassime is to ensure that he’s being consistent across the entire year, and ultimately, if he can do that, he will become a mainstay in the top 10 of the world rankings.
Auger-Aliassime wins in deciding sets in 2025
• 1-6 6-4 7-5 vs. Cazaux (Adelaide)
• 7-6 3-6 6-4 vs. Paul (Adelaide)
• 6-3 3-6 6-1 vs. Korda (Adelaide)
• 6-2 6-7 7-6 vs. Kovacevic (Montpellier)
• 4-6 6-4 7-6 vs. Halys (Doha)
• 7-6 6-7 6-3 vs. Bublik (Dubai)
• 4-6 6-3 7-5 vs. Borges (Dubai)
• 6-4 3-6 6-2 vs. Cilic (Dubai)
• 5-7 6-4 6-3 vs. Halys (Dubai)
• 7-6 6-7 6-3 vs. Muller (Hamburg)
• 6-3 6-7 6-1 vs. Djere (Halle)
• 3-6 6-1 6-4 vs. Medjedovic (Mallorca)
• 6-2 3-6 6-7 6-4 6-4 vs. Duckworth (Wimbledon)
• 7-6 4-6 7-6 vs. Dzumhur (Brussels)
• 7-6 6-7 6-2 vs. Lehecka (Brussels)
• 6-7 6-3 6-3 vs. Comesaña (Paris)
• 5-7 7-6 7-6 vs. Muller (Paris)
• 3-6 6-3 6-2 vs. Altmaier (Paris)
• 4-6 7-6 7-5 vs. Shelton (ATP Finals)
Auger-Aliassime is one of the standout players of the year
That might sound like a controversial thing to say, but if you take out Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, then Auger-Aliassime has been one of the best players on the tour.
He’s currently vying to finish the year as a top-five player, and that would represent a remarkable turnaround given that a few weeks ago, his place at the ATP Finals wasn’t even guaranteed.
Auger-Aliassime has been showing the sort of level since reaching the semifinal of the US Open that suggests he can continue reaching the business end at major tournaments.
The challenge is merely to produce it for a full year and once he starts doing that, the future will look very bright for the 25-year-old.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
