Felix Auger-Aliassime lifts the trophy, his second of 2025, in Montpellier above his head.

Photo : Open Occitanie

Félix Auger-Aliassime has played three regular tournaments so far in 2025, and he’s won two of them. The Canadian No. 1 added his second title of the season on Sunday in Montpellier, fighting past Aleksandar Kovacevic in three sets. 

Throughout the week, Auger-Aliassime has looked as comfortable as ever on his beloved indoor hard courts and he kept up his winning ways in the final. While he had a chance to close it out in two sets, the Canadian came up clutch in the third-set tiebreak, claiming the trophy with a 6-2, 6-7(7), 7-6(2) win. 

Auger-Aliassime is up to seven career ATP Tour titles, which leaves him one behind Milos Raonic for the most singles titles by a Canadian. Six of his titles have come on indoor hard courts. 

The serve was a difference-maker for the Canadian in the final, as he fired 19 aces and won 78 per cent of his first-serve points. He only faced one break point in the match, in his final service game, which he saved.  

Kovacevic came out swinging, putting some pressure on the Canadian early, but it did not take long for Auger-Aliassime to seize control. He weathered some big hitting from the American and at 2-2, Kovacevic’s early level faded culminating in a backhand wide for love-40. The Canadian ripped a backhand winner on the second break point to grab the early lead. 

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As the set went along, Auger-Aliassime continued to up his game and pull away. On the American’s serve at 2-4, the Canadian curled a spectacular forehand passing shot up the line to set up a break point where he laced another forehand winner to make it a double break. He won the last five games of the set in a row to take it. 

In the second, Kovacevic was able to up his level and started matching Auger-Aliassime shot for set. The set was dominated by servers, with neither player sniffing a break point. The first 12 points of the tiebreak also went to the server, including Kovacevic saving a match point with a big serve. 

At 6-6, the American missed a forehand to five Auger-Aliassime a second match point on his own serve. A big serve and a big forehand seemed like it was going to be enough to clinch the title, but Kovacevic lazered a Federer-like backhand passing shot down the line to save it. The Canadian double-faulted on the ensuing point to give his opponent a chance to serve it out. Auger-Aliassime then missed a forehand to send the match to a decider.  

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It seemed like the American was in the ascendency through most of the decider and Auger-Aliassime was hanging on for dear life. The forehand was letting the Canadian down throughout but he will still able to hang tough on the big points. At 5-5, he netted a backhand to go down break point, the only break point in the third set, but Kovacevic sent his return long. 

Unlike the previous tiebreak, it was the returners getting the better of the early exchanges in the final set tiebreak. Auger-Aliassime took the first point on his own delivery but then the next six went to the returner. Back-to-back errors on his own serve from Kovacevic set up the Canadian to serve it out and he conjured up two big serves, finally clinching the title on his third match point with an ace. 

Auger-Aliassime will look to carry his momentum into Rotterdam next week, where he won his first career title back in 2022. 

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