Félix Auger-Aliassime turned on the jets in the back half of 2025 to make a bid to qualify for the ATP Finals, but he is running out of time.
One big haul of points remains as the final Masters 1000 event of 2025 takes place this week. For many on tour, this will be their final event of the season. For Auger-Aliassime, it could be his last chance to qualify for Turin.
Here’s what you need to know.
What to Watch: Auger-Aliassime's Tough Road to Turin
If Félix Auger-Aliassime is going to sneak into the ATP Finals, he will need a big result at this week’s Rolex Paris Masters and possibly some help.
To even have a chance of catching Lorenzo Musetti, who currently sits in the eighth and final qualifying spot, Auger-Aliassime has to at least reach the final in Paris. Musetti currently leads the Canadian by 480 points. Even a semifinal would only earn Auger-Aliassime 400 points and leave him short.
Getting to the final will be tough. The Montrealer is seeded ninth and will kick off his bid against qualifier Francisco Comesana. He could face either Alexandre Muller or Brandon Nakashima in the second round followed by eighth seed Casper Ruud in round three.
Auger-Aliassime's projected quarter-final opponent is world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.
Were he to pull the upset, potential semifinal opponents include No. 4 seed Taylor Fritz, and No. 6 Alex de Minaur.
Read also: Getting to know the 2025-2026 National Tennis Centre Class
Winning the title is the only sure-fire way for Auger-Aliassime to get into a qualifying spot for the ATP Finals. If he lost in the final, he could still find himself on the outside looking in if Musetti, de Minaur, and Ben Shelton all have sufficiently deep runs.
This is not necessarily the last gasp for Auger-Aliassime. If he can get within 250 points of a qualifying spot this week, there are ATP 250 events on the calendar next week that still count in the Race to Turin. However, if he fails to reach the semifinals in Paris, his only way to get into the ATP Finals would be as an alternate if one of the Top 8 withdrew.
Denis Shapovalov and Gabriel Diallo are also both in the Paris draw and are on a collision course. The two Canadians could meet in the third round.
Shapovalov will get a shot at revenge to start the week as he was drawn against Joao Fonseca just days after their quarter-final clash in Basel. If he tags the young Brazilian back, the 2019 Paris runner-up would face either No. 10 seed Karen Khachanov or qualifier Ethan Quinn.
Read also: Mboko, Andreescu, Auger-Aliassime, Diallo Make the Most of All-Canadian Clashes
Diallo plays Tallon Griekspoor in the first round, with de Minaur looming in round two.
If one of the Canadians comes through that section, they would be projected to meet Fritz in the quarter-finals, with Alcaraz or Auger-Aliassime potentially waiting in the semis.
On the WTA side, Leylah Annie Fernandez and Victoria Mboko are among the top seeds at the 250 event in Hong Kong. Fernandez is seeded second and will open against Xiyu Wang, with Eva Lys already waiting in round two. Her projected quarter-final opponent is No. 7 seed Sorana Cirstea.
Mboko is seeded third and will kick things off against Talia Gibson. She could meet fellow young gun Alexandra Eala or Katie Boulter in the second round, with sixth seed Anna Kalinskaya expected to be her first seeded opponent in the quarter-finals.
The two Canadian women could meet in the semis.
In Case You Missed It: Mboko Bounces Back
Victoria Mboko had a tough go after winning the National Bank Open in August, but the teen was picking up wins again last week at the WTA 500 event in Tokyo.
Her first-rounder was an all-Canadian clash against Bianca Andreescu, which Mboko won in straight sets. She followed it up with an impressive victory over Eva Lys with the loss of just two games before going down swinging in two tough sets in the quarter-finals against second seed Elena Rybakina.
Leylah Annie Fernandez also was ousted by Rybakina, losing to the Kazakhstani in the second round in straight sets. Fernandez had beaten Maria Sakkari in the first round in straight sets.
Read also: Through the Years - Leylah Annie Fernandez’s Rise to WTA Title Contender
Andreescu and Mboko teamed up in the doubles, playing together just hours after their singles match. They defeated Emiliana Arango and Zeynep Sonmez in the first round before falling in the quarter-finals against Shuko Aoyama and Cristina Busca.
Gabriela Dabrowski was also in action in Tokyo alongside Sofia Kenin. The pair went out in the quarter-finals, falling 10-8 in the match tiebreak against fourth seeds Timea Babos and Luisa Stefani.
The ATP 500 event in Basel was also full of Canadian content. Like Tokyo, there was an all-Canadian first-round clash, with Félix Auger-Aliassime taking down Gabriel Diallo in straight sets.
Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov both reached the quarter-finals but saw their campaigns come to disappointing ends. Auger-Aliassime retired after just one set against Jaume Munar, while Shapovalov pulled out in the third set of his clash with the eventual-champion Joao Fonseca.
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Under the Radar: Lacasse Goes Back-to-Back
Right now, Raphaelle Lacasse is the doubles queen of Canadian ITF events. A week after her triumph in Quebec City, the 25-year-old picked up her second title in as many weeks on home soil, teaming up with compatriot Ariana Arseneault to win the doubles title at the W75 event in Saguenay, QC.
Photo : @ariana_arseneault
CLICK HERE for the full Saguenay recap.
The action comes to Toronto this week as the next Canadian event on the schedule, the Tevlin Challenger, another W75 event, is being held at Sobeys Stadium. Fans are invited to come watch!
Read also: Tevlin Family’s Contribution to Canadian Tennis Ahead of Toronto Challenger’s 20th Anniversary
You can follow the Canadians in action every week here.
Feature Photo : @swissindoorsbasel_official/@antoniovasquez11
