Carlos Alcaraz vs Felix Auger-AliasSime may be a mismatch on paper, but nowhere is it better than on the indoor court.
That’s why their showdown at the Nitto ATP Finals is an interesting read on Saturday night, and one that could be more competitive than expected. Auger-Aliassime is a complete force within, with seven of the eight life titles coming to this face. That includes a recent victory at Brumpels, which preceded a runner-up performance at the Paris Masters.
Semifinanarist of the 2025 US Open broke his outstanding form in Turin. He opened with a loss to defending champion Jannik Dinner but bounced back to beat Ben Shelton 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5 and Alexander Zereeva 6-4, 7-6 (4).
Saturday marks the eighth meeting between Alcaraz and auger-aliassime. Alcaraz leads the head-to-head series 4-3, having won four in a row in this high-scoring game. They faced each other three times, where the Spaniard was in straight sets at the Indian Games, Roland Garros, and the Olympics in Paris. However, the auger-aliasime won both of the previous indoor singles – 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2 in the Davis Cup and 6-3, 6-2 in Basel.
Alcaraz rolled through his round robin group without losing a game, thus earning a tear every year. The 22-year-old defeated Alex de Minaur 7-6 (5), 6-2, Taylor Fritz 6-7 (2), 7-5, 6-3, and Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-1.
This is Alcaraz’s third appearance in Turin; He never made it past the semifinals. Despite being a heavy favourite, it won’t be easy for him to match the title this time around. Auger-Aliasime is very difficult to break houses, and it is not a guy who wants to play with them. The eighth-ranked Canadian is an amazing 32-14 ‘break this season, including an incredible 20-3 in his last season back at the Cincinnati Kings.
Auger-AliasSime will have to play a lot better than he did against Zvereev on Friday … but it’s possible. There was a lot of pressure on him in that game, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the German style of play from the ground up. That won’t happen in this game, and auger-aliaside can play empty.
Do not be shocked if the first competition of the last year and the first Indoor Finar wins the auger-aliassime ALCARAZ again.
Select: Auger-AliasSime in 3
