Felix Auger-Aliassime closer to Turin after Paris QF win ATP Tour

match report

Auger-Aliassime closer to Turin after QF win in Paris

The Canadian heads into the PIF ATP Live event in Turin in ninth place, 145 points behind eighth-placed Musetti

October 31, 2025

Felix Auger-Aliassime closed the points gap on Lorenzo Musetti to 145 points at the PIF ATP Live Event in Turin on Friday when he ended French wildcard Valentin Vaccello’s losing streak and reached the semi-finals of the Rolex Paris Masters.

Vaccello has won his last 10 ATP Masters 1000 events, notably a fairytale victory in the Shanghai final earlier this month. However, he was unable to cope with the weight and intensity of Auger-Aliassime’s shot in Paris, where the ninth seed won 6-2, 6-2 to reach his fourth Masters 1000m semi-final.

“Every opponent is different. It was an interesting challenge to come out on the court today, playing against a player that I know from training but have never played in a game. He’s very confident and you’re a little scared to be honest,” Auger-Aliassime said. “You’re not sure if he has that magic right now that other people don’t have, but he’s playing unbelievable. But I had to be so focused from the beginning and that intensity that I brought to the first game helped me ease into the match and I played some beautiful tennis.”

Auger-Aliassime has bounced back from one set loss in his first three matches in the French capital, but in his first Lexus ATP showdown with Vaccello, he took control from the start. The 25-year-old, who broke Vaccello’s serve in the opening match, has reached 10 tour-level semi-finals this season, lifting trophies in Adelaide, Montpellier and Brussels.

Auger-Aliassime will next meet Alex De Minaur or Alexander Bublik. The eight-time Tour level champion trails Musetti by 145 points at the Turin live event and will overtake the Italian if he reaches the final. Auger-Aliassim is seeking a second appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, having qualified for 2022.

He hit 22 winners and committed 10 unforced errors against Vaccello, finishing with a 47-21 record this season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

“I’m trying to win every game,” Auger-Aliassime added. “Whether it’s the end of the year or the beginning of the year, everything in this sport is important. I think the work that I put in, the routine. I try to be consistent with what I do and try to be consistent in everything I do, and when you get that consistency with results, it’s very gratifying.”

Vaccello won the title in Shanghai and shocked the tennis world by becoming the lowest-ranked player in history to win the Masters 1000 title. The Monaco star has moved up 10 places to No. 30 in the PIF ATP live rankings after reaching the quarter-finals in Paris.