Felix Auger-Aliassime completed a storming group stage turnaround in style at the Nitto ATP Finals on Friday evening, rocketing past Alexander Zverev to book a spot in the semi-finals in Turin.
The No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings defeated two-time Nitto ATP Finals title winner Zverev 6-4, 7-6(4) in a straight shootout to finish second behind Jannik Sinner in the Bjorn Borg Group. Auger-Aliassime lost his first three sets of the week and slipped towards an early exit at the Inalpi Arena, but after completing a comeback win against Ben Shelton and then eliminating Zverev, he will be confident going into his semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz.
Flying to the semi-finals ✈️@felixtennis will face top seed Alcaraz for a spot in the showpiece final!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/SlD8R6CNfA
— ATP tour (@atptour) November 14, 2025
“This is a tournament of high value for players,” said Auger-Aliassime, when asked about the match against Alcaraz. “It’s like a grand final and if you look at the list of champions there have been a lot of number 1s. You want to be in the final but for that I need a great player. I will take my chance when I get it.”
By beating Zverev for his 50th tour-level win of the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Auger-Aliassime became the second Canadian to reach the last four at the Nitto ATP Finals, after Milos Raonic in 2016. He also completed a clean sweep against Zverev before 2025, having also prevailed in the pair’s third round at the US Open, although the German still ahead 6-4. their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
Against Zverev, Auger-Aliassime withstood his opponent’s pressure on serve before striking late in the first set. He saved break points at 30/40 in both the fifth and ninth games and then took advantage of Zverev’s drop in level in the 10th game to take the opener: although the German saved three set points from 4-5, 0/40, Auger-Aliassime produced a stunning cross-court forehand on his fourth chance to progress.
Watch Felix’s fireworks forehand to clinch the first set:
In a nail-biting encounter, both players struggled to maintain consistency in the second set. Zverev seemed frustrated by his struggles on a pitch where he lifted the trophy in 2021 and regularly gestured to his team, while Auger-Aliassime was wasteful with his openings upon return.
Despite dropping three break points earlier in the set, the Canadian kept his composure and delivered a strong tiebreak. From 5/4, he earned consecutive minibreaks via Zverev errors, completing a two-hour, seven-minute victory.
“It was a great first set. He had a few chances, but I came up with big serves to save them,” said Auger-Aliassime, who is three spots No. 5 higher in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. “The first set was very solid and so was the start of the second set. I had a lot of chances.
“When that happens you have to concentrate on the present, but you are aware of missed opportunities, so the match got a bit tense from then on. But I was able to hold serve and in the tiebreak it was exciting until the end.”
Auger-Aliassime is chasing his fourth ATP Tour trophy of 2025 this week in Turin, after already triumphing in Adelaide, Montpellier and Brussels this season. He has now won 85 games indoors this decade, five more than second-placed Sinner on that list.
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