Félix Auger-Aliassime stands alone in Canadian tennis history.
The 25-year-old from Montreal hoisted his ninth-career ATP trophy at the Open Occitanie in Montpellier on Sunday, surpassing former world No. 3 Milos Raonic for the most tour-level singles titles by a Canadian.
Auger-Aliassime produced another strong service display in his 6-3, 7-6(4) win over Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. The Canadian No. 1 won 87 per cent of his points on his first delivery and finished the contest without a loss of serve for the third-straight match, not facing a single break point in the final. The Canuck also recorded 13 aces, passing the 4000-ace mark for his career.
Auger-Aliassime was dominant right out of the gates in his quest for back-to-back titles in Montpellier. The world No. 8 won the match’s first eight points, leading by an early break, 2-0.
Much like his quarter- and semifinal victories, Auger-Aliassime’s delivery gave Mannarino nothing on return. The Canadian didn’t face a break point in the set, with his most difficult service game coming in the eighth game where he let a 40-15 lead slip but managed to hold after deuce two.
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At 3-5, 15-all, Auger-Aliassime fired two of his 34 winners in the title match to hold double set point, sealing the opener thanks to a powerful return and inching closer to the Canadian record.
The second set was much of the same for Auger-Aliassime on his delivery. The Montrealer won 87 per cent of his first-serve points through his first five service games as Mannarino looked to extend the set on serve at 4-5.
Auger-Aliassime nicely put away a volley at 30-all, past Mannarino’s desperate racket throw to put the pressure on the Frenchman with break and match point. However, the world No. 70 served well to stay alive in the contest.
Mannarino held comfortably in the twelfth game to send the second to a tiebreaker, where the French No. 9 struck first with a vital mini-break to later lead 4-2.
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Undeterred, Auger-Aliassime responded by winning five-straight points and the 25-year-old completed the successful defence of his Montpellier title.
“[Mannarino] is always a really tough opponent to play, for all players. That’s why I think myself and all our peers have so much respect for him, his career and the challenges he proposes on the court,” Auger-Aliassime said in his post-match interview. “I knew it was going to be a tough match today, I’m very happy. It’s amazing to win here again, I’m thrilled with my whole week and especially today.”
This was the Canadian’s eighth trophy on an indoor hard court. Auger-Aliassime now returns to the place where he won his maiden ATP title four years ago, opening the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam this week against former National Bank Open champion Alexei Popyrin.
Feature Photo: ATP Tour
