Auger-Aliassime beats Zverev to claim final semi-final spot in Turin – Tennis Now
Felix Auger-Aliassime continues to make strides on his beloved indoor hard courts, with the 25-year-old continuing his fine form on Friday in Turin and extending his season in the process.
Auger-Aliassime defeated Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6(4) to reach the ATP Finals semi-finals for the first time and will face Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday.
“I think this game has a very high value for the players,” Auger-Aliassime said. “You compete all year and this is the finals. Anyone who wins this tournament, when you see the list of winners, is pretty much No. 1 in the world.
“You want to be in that position, you want to be in the final but I have to do it through a great player. Lots of respect [Alcaraz] But if there is a chance I will take it. “
The Montreal native became just the second Canadian to reach the semifinals in ATP Finals history and the first since Milos Raonic won in 2016. With his fourth career win over Zverev, he jumped to a career-high No. 5 in the ATP Live Rankings, his second in the past four months (also at the U.S. Open, a four-set win).
After holding serve for nine straight games, Zverev’s slight error brought the first set to a quick end. To his credit, the German tied the score at 0-40 in the tenth over, but he dragged his feet on the next point, which ultimately led to his undoing.
“A player is there to win, a player is there not to lose,” said Colin Fleming, who was commentating on the match courtside for ATP World Feed.
Auger-Aliassime converted a poor volley from Zverev and converted his fourth set point with a wickedly angled forehand winner to end the first period in the 51st minute.
“I thought it was a great first set,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I thought he was going to get some chances, but I came up with good serves to save them every time.”
Zverev stared at his box as if to say; What happened? It was a tough pill to swallow for Zverev, who had previously won the set’s only two break points and played four easy service games at the start of the match, conceding only three points on serve before winning 4-5.
Auger-Aliassime looked menacingly at his box, a look of determination in his eyes.
The second set was more tense than the first, but the same guy was knocked out.
The two struggled to find five break points in three games – three from Auger-Aliassime and two from Zverev – which gave the pair a 3-2 lead on serve, which they maintained until the tiebreak.
Auger-Aliassime once again excelled, finishing the 75-minute second set with a strong push to improve his tiebreak record to 20-3 since early August.
“Luckily, we were both pretty nervous,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I was still able to hold serve and the tie-break was tight to the end.”
Auger-Aliassime leads the ATP Tour with 84 indoor wins this decade, with seven of his eight ATP titles coming indoors. His indoor record in 2025 is 17-4.
The semi-finals are scheduled to take place in Turin on Saturday, with defending champion Yannick Sinner taking on Alex De Minaur in the other half.
