Félix Auger-Aliassime has performed three common tournaments thus far in 2025, and he’s gained two of them. The Canadian No. 1 added his second title of the season on Sunday in Montpellier, combating previous Aleksandar Kovacevic in three units.
All through the week, Auger-Aliassime has seemed as comfy as ever on his beloved indoor exhausting courts and he stored up his successful methods within the closing. Whereas he had an opportunity to shut it out in two units, the Canadian got here up clutch within the third-set tiebreak, claiming the trophy with a 6-2, 6-7(7), 7-6(2) win.
Auger-Aliassime is as much as seven profession ATP Tour titles, which leaves him one behind Milos Raonic for probably the most singles titles by a Canadian. Six of his titles have come on indoor exhausting courts.
The serve was a difference-maker for the Canadian within the closing, as he fired 19 aces and gained 78 per cent of his first-serve factors. He solely confronted one break level within the match, in his closing service recreation, which he saved.
Kovacevic got here out swinging, placing some strain on the Canadian early, nevertheless it didn’t take lengthy for Auger-Aliassime to grab management. He weathered some huge hitting from the American and at 2-2, Kovacevic’s early stage pale culminating in a backhand broad for love-40. The Canadian ripped a backhand winner on the second break level to seize the early lead.
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Because the set went alongside, Auger-Aliassime continued to up his recreation and draw back. On the American’s serve at 2-4, the Canadian curled a spectacular forehand passing shot up the road to arrange a break level the place he laced one other forehand winner to make it a double break. He gained the final 5 video games of the set in a row to take it.
Within the second, Kovacevic was capable of up his stage and began matching Auger-Aliassime shot for set. The set was dominated by servers, with neither participant sniffing a break level. The primary 12 factors of the tiebreak additionally went to the server, together with Kovacevic saving a match level with a giant serve.
At 6-6, the American missed a forehand to 5 Auger-Aliassime a second match level on his personal serve. An enormous serve and a giant forehand appeared prefer it was going to be sufficient to clinch the title, however Kovacevic lazered a Federer-like backhand passing shot down the road to put it aside. The Canadian double-faulted on the following level to provide his opponent an opportunity to serve it out. Auger-Aliassime then missed a forehand to ship the match to a decider.
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It appeared just like the American was within the ascendency by means of many of the decider and Auger-Aliassime was hanging on for pricey life. The forehand was letting the Canadian down all through however he’ll nonetheless capable of cling robust on the massive factors. At 5-5, he netted a backhand to go down break level, the one break level within the third set, however Kovacevic despatched his return lengthy.
In contrast to the earlier tiebreak, it was the returners getting the higher of the early exchanges within the closing set tiebreak. Auger-Aliassime took the primary level on his personal supply however then the subsequent six went to the returner. Again-to-back errors on his personal serve from Kovacevic arrange the Canadian to serve it out and he conjured up two huge serves, lastly clinching the title on his third match level with an ace.
Auger-Aliassime will look to hold his momentum into Rotterdam subsequent week, the place he gained his first profession title again in 2022.
