In a thrilling showdown at the ATP Finals, Montreal’s Félix Auger-Aliassime secured a pivotal win, overcoming Ben Shelton from the United States with a comeback scoreline of 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5 on Wednesday.
This victory evened Auger-Aliassime’s record to 1-1 in the prestigious year-end men’s tennis event.
The 25-year-old Canadian entered the match on the heels of a tough 7-5, 6-1 defeat to Italy’s Jannik Sinner, where he had battled fiercely against the reigning champion before an apparent leg issue hindered his performance.
Auger-Aliassime faced challenges against Shelton, finding himself just two points from elimination in a tense second-set tiebreak.
Yet, demonstrating resilience, he rallied from a set down for the fourth time in his last eight encounters and now boasts a 2-0 record against Shelton in their previous meetings.
“He started off playing at a much higher level than me,” Auger-Aliassime reflected. “It’s not typical for me to get broken twice indoors in the first set. The beginning was unusual, but as the match progressed, I found my footing with my returns.”
“Once the rallies began, I felt the momentum shift. It’s all about fighting, believing in yourself, and focusing on the next point,” he added.
With this victory, Auger-Aliassime leads the ATP Tour with 20 wins in matches that have gone the distance.
His next challenge is against Alexander Zverev on Friday, where a win is essential for advancing to the semifinals.
On the other hand, Shelton’s record fell to 0-2, eliminating him from contention in the group stage. He will face Sinner in his final group match.
Sinner and Zverev were set to clash later in the day.
This marks Auger-Aliassime’s second appearance at the ATP Finals. In 2022, he achieved a notable upset over Spanish legend Rafael Nadal but didn’t progress beyond the group stage after two losses.
Shelton started strong, dominating the first set and gaining an early break, but faltered when serving for the set, allowing Auger-Aliassime to break back.
In a display of frustration, Shelton struck his racket against the ground, sending it flying towards spectators. Thankfully, no one was injured, although he received a warning for the incident.
Regaining his composure, Shelton broke back immediately, claiming the first set.
The second set remained on serve, with Shelton saving three set points during the tiebreaker, but a double fault—following a stumble—allowed Auger-Aliassime to level the match.
From that point, the Canadian surged ahead, and although Shelton staved off two break points early in the decider, Auger-Aliassime clinched victory by breaking in the final game, sealing the match on his third match point.
