Felix Auger-Aliassime must make a comeback to reach the Paris Masters final.
After trailing 1-4 in the second set, Auger-Aliassime fought back against Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik to win 7-6(3), 6-4 and reach the ATP Masters 1000 final for the second time.
The 13th-ranked Bublik dropped his racket to the ground after losing one of five in the fifth set.
Auger-Aliassime opened the match with his 12th ace. A forehand winner at the net gave him his first match point, and he sealed the victory with a big forehand. Auger-Aliassime clapped his heart and waved to the crowd.
Auger-Aliassime is the first player from outside Europe to reach the ATP Masters 1000 final on multiple venues since Kei Nishikori in 2016.
His last appearance in the ATP Masters 1000 final was at the 2024 Madrid Open – played on clay – where he lost to Andrey Rublev
Auger-Aliassime has won titles in Adelaide, Montpellier and Brussels this year and is chasing his ninth career title, which would be his first at the ATP 1000 level.
Bublik is the first Kazakh to reach the semifinals of the Masters. He lost for the fourth time in six matches to Auger-Aliassime, who remains on track to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin, Italy. By winning Sunday’s final, he can secure the eighth and final spot.
The ninth-seeded Canadian will face either Janik Sinner or defending champion Alexander Zverev for the title.
Sinner and Zverev meet in the semifinals later Saturday at La Défense Stadium. Four-time Grand Slam champion Sinner needs to win the match to regain the world number one spot from Carlos Alcaraz.
–With files from The Associated Press
