Canada’s very own Felix Auger-Aliassime made an impressive leap to the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters on Thursday, clinching a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory against Germany’s Daniel Altmaier.
The ninth-seeded athlete from Montreal bounced back after losing the first set, dominating with an impressive 87% success rate on his first serves and capitalizing on three out of ten break points.
In a match that lasted two hours and 11 minutes, Auger-Aliassime delivered seven aces while maintaining a tally of three double faults.
This victory comes on the heels of a grueling match against France’s Alexandre Muller, where Auger-Aliassime triumphed with a scoreline of 5-7, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4), thanks to a remarkable 21 aces.
“It’s been a tough week, with every match going the distance,” Auger-Aliassime reflected. “I approached today knowing I might face another battle.
“I focused on staying calm, being patient, and exploring solutions. Digging deep, I understood that the answers were within me; it was about making the right decisions and executing them effectively.”
After a slow start, Auger-Aliassime showed composure and managed to break Altmaier’s service game, leveling their career match-up to 2-2.
“As the match progressed, my serves improved significantly. I initially struggled with his serving pace,” he said. “Eventually, I figured out how to apply pressure and broke him three times afterward.”
Currently sitting ninth in the ATP Race to Turin standings, Auger-Aliassime is vying for one of the coveted spots at the season-ending ATP Finals, where the top eight male players qualify.
With this win, Auger-Aliassime has secured 3,395 points in the Race to Turin, trailing Lorenzo Musetti, who is in eighth place with 290 points more, but has already exited the Paris Masters.
A quarterfinal victory over Monaco wildcard Valentin Vacherot could position Auger-Aliassime just 90 points behind Musetti, while winning the tournament could create a 510-point lead.
Post-Paris, there are limited chances to close the gap, with only a couple of ATP 250 events taking place in Athens and Metz, France before the ATP Finals commence on November 9.
World No. 40 Vacherot has seen a remarkable rise in the ATP rankings, jumping 227 places in the last four months. He maintained this momentum with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 win over Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the Round of 16.
Vacherot is currently on a ten-match winning streak at the Masters level, having triumphed in the last ATP 1000 tournament in Shanghai, defeating his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the final.
Norrie entered the quarterfinal after a spectacular upset over world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.
