Felix Auger-Aliassime took the long road to victory on Sunday, but he did so in style to capture the title at the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open in Brussels.
The 25-year-old Canadian outlasted Jiri Lehecka 7-6(2), 6-7(6), 6-2, reviving his bid to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. Auger-Aliassime was unable to convert two championship points in the second set tiebreak, but eventually regrouped to earn a clinical victory for his third ATP Tour title of the season.
FABULOUS??
2022 champion @felixtennis becomes the first player to win multiple titles in tournament history at the @BNPPFEUOpen#BNPFEuropeanOpen pic.twitter.com/1u1ily1kE8
— ATP tour (@atptour) October 19, 2025
“It’s the final, so we put everything on the line. I feel like we were both extremely focused from the start,” Auger-Aliassime said. “It was a high level for two sets, so you don’t know how things could go… But of course I’m happy.”
With his two-hour, 34-minute victory, Auger-Aliassime jumped to ninth place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, closing the gap to Lorenzo Musetti to just 330 points as the battle for the season finale intensifies. However, he will like his chances during the European indoor swing.
The triumph marks Auger-Aliassime’s eighth ATP Tour title – tied with Milos Raonic for most Canadian men in the Open Era – and his sixth on indoor hard courts. He has the most wins on indoor hard courts (76) since the start of the 2020 season, highlighted by back-to-back titles at the ATP 500 in Basel.
In a serve-dominated final in Brussels, Auger-Aliassime was able to rely on his trademark first-serve power and razor-sharp groundstrokes to regroup in the deciding set. During the final, he hit 17 aces and saved all three break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
“I have so much respect for him as a person, as a player,” Auger-Aliassime said of Lehecka, who he leads 2-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. “He’s a great guy. Since he’s been on Tour we’ve been getting along really well, so all credit to him and his team, they’re doing a fantastic job.”
Auger-Aliassime’s 2025 campaign has been a rollercoaster. After starting the season with a roar with titles in Adelaide and Montpellier, a dip in form midway through the year raised questions. But since late summer he has looked rejuvenated, reaching the semi-finals of the US Open and the quarter-finals of Shanghai before going on to a second title at the Belgian ATP 250.
For Lehecka it was a well-known heartbreak on Belgian soil. The 23-year-old Czech, who lost the final last year when it was held in Antwerp, was unable to capitalize on the series of big shots that led him to a third set.
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