In the first semi-final at the 2025 Paris Masters, Felix Auger-Aliassime delivered a stellar performance to beat Alexander Bublik in straight sets.
Auger-Aliassime earned a 7-6(3), 6-4 victory against world No 16 Bublik to progress to his maiden Paris Masters final and second career Masters 1000 title match.
The result has seen Auger-Aliassime make a big jump in the Race to the ATP Finals in Turin, and it has ended Bublik’s hopes of qualifying for the season-ending event.
Felix Auger-Aliassime makes major ATP Finals move as he reaches Paris Masters final
- Felix Auger-Aliassime is now in a strong position to qualify for the ATP Finals as he has overtaken Lorenzo Musetti in the Race to Turin
- Alexander Bublik can no longer qualify for the ATP Finals as he needed to win the Paris Masters
- Auger-Aliassime sent a confident message ahead of the final in Paris
Neither player faced a break point in a serve-dominated and high-quality opening set, with Auger-Aliassime claiming two mini-breaks to take the tiebreak.
Auger-Aliassime’s lofty level dropped in the early stages of the second set as he was broken by Bublik in his opening two service games.
After trailing 1-4, though, Auger-Aliassime won five straight games to seal the win, having broken the big-serving Bublik three times in the set.
How has Auger-Aliassime’s win against Bublik affected the Race to Turin?
Auger-Aliassime’s triumph over Bublik has moved him above Lorenzo Musetti into the eighth and final qualification spot for the ATP Finals.
The Canadian’s run to the final in Paris has earned him 650 points, putting him on 3,845 points in the Race to Turin rankings.
Lorenzo Musetti, who started the week in the No 8 spot, is now 160 points adrift of Auger-Aliassime.
Auger-Aliassime’s qualification for the ATP Finals is not yet assured as Musetti will play at the ATP 250 in Athens next week.
If Auger-Aliassime wins the Paris title, though, he will move onto 4,195 points — a total that will guarantee his spot in Turin as Musetti would not be able to earn enough points to overtake him.
Winning the Paris title would lift Auger-Aliassime above Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur into fifth position in the Race.
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Bublik, who is 11th in the Race to Turin, needed to win the Paris Masters to keep his hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals alive. His semi-final elimination, though, has mathematically ruled him out.
The Russian-born Kazakh may still have the chance to feature in Turin as an alternate.
What did Auger-Aliassime say after reaching the final?
Auger-Aliassime will face either Jannik Sinner or Alexander Zverev in the Paris final as he aims to win the biggest title of his career.
In an interview with Tennis TV, Auger-Aliassime was asked how happy he was with the way he imposed his game and character on the match.
“Yeah, I’m so happy, and a Masters 1000 final sounds so good. You don’t play those finals every week, so hopefully I can go all the way and get the title,” the 25-year-old said.
“These are the matches you train for and play for. It’s always great to play these guys, to see how my game matches with them. I’ve been playing tennis for a long time, training all this year to improve, and I’ve made some great improvements.
“And now tomorrow, I have a chance to showcase it in front of everyone, so I’m gonna wake up ready. With these guys, you have to be so sharp, tactically disciplined. They don’t give you anything, so you have to be ready to play your A-game.”
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