Auger-Aliassime’s Paris Rally Keeps Turin in Sight
On the swift indoor courts of Paris, Felix Auger-Aliassime shakes off a shaky start to overpower Francisco Comesana, trimming his deficit in the race for the Nitto ATP Finals with a victory that pulses with late-season resolve.
In the humming atmosphere of the Paris Masters, Felix Auger-Aliassime confronted the stakes of a season on the brink, his body still echoing the toll of recent battles. Nine days after claiming the ATP 250 title in Brussels, the Canadian had withdrawn from his Basel quarterfinal last week, arriving in the French capital with questions about his readiness. Yet against qualifier Francisco Comesana, he forged a path through a 6-7(2) first set, leveling at 6-3 before sealing a 6-3 decider in two hours and 20 minutes, their initial ATP Head2Head clash ending in his favor.
Locking down the second-set serve
The opener tested Auger-Aliassime’s patience, as Comesana’s consistent baseline returns dragged rallies into crosscourt grinds on the indoor hard courts. Drawing from a 44-21 season, the 25-year-old recalibrated, unleashing inside-out forehands that exploited the surface’s speed to break through. In the second set, he surrendered not a single point behind his first serve, data from ATP Stats revealing a flawless hold pattern that swung momentum, the crowd’s energy shifting from tension to anticipation as he evened the score.
This tactical grip extended into the decider, where Auger-Aliassime‘s one–two combinations overpowered the world No. 68, his down-the-line backhands piercing any defensive setup. The victory narrowed his gap to 440 points behind eighth-placed Lorenzo Musetti in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, with the Italian set to face Lorenzo Sonego on Wednesday. For Auger-Aliassime, ninth in the standings and eyeing a second Nitto ATP Finals berth after his 2022 round-robin exit, the win injects urgency into a campaign demanding depth here to overtake the cutoff.
Navigating a season of strains
Auger-Aliassime’s journey to this point weaves through highs like the Brussels crown and lows such as the Basel retirement, each etching resilience into his game. The Paris indoors, with their controlled bounce, suit his penetrating strokes, allowing him to conserve energy amid the tour’s grind. As he advances, the psychological lift from this comeback tempers any lingering fatigue, positioning him to build on his 2022 semifinal run in the French capital.
Next awaits Frenchman Alexandre Muller, a matchup where Auger-Aliassime’s serve-return balance could dictate the tempo, much like his second-set dominance against Comesana. Sustaining that edge through the draw will test his adaptability, turning Paris into a launchpad for Turin’s elite field. With points scarce in the calendar’s final stretch, each victory sharpens his focus, the arena’s lights casting long shadows on a pursuit defined by unyielding drive.
Underdog surges ripple outward
Beyond the main court, the draw stirred with its own intensity as Shanghai champion Valentin Vacherot dispatched Jiri Lehecka 6-1, 6-3, his aggressive returns feasting on second serves to arrange a rematch with cousin Arthur Rinderknech. Vacherot’s earlier three-set triumph over the Frenchman in Shanghai marked him as the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 winner since 1990, a feat underscoring the tournament’s volatility. These early ripples remind Auger-Aliassime that qualifiers can disrupt plans, fueling his vigilance as he presses toward a deep run that could redefine his season’s arc.
