Felix Auger Aliassime

[Damian]

Felix, Khachanov Among Early Rome Casualties

Spoiler:

Dimitrov, Anderson, Nishikori and Sinner in action on day one


Felix Auger-Aliassime and Karen Khachanov both fell in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia first round on Monday.

Filip Krajinovic lost just three of his first service points (27/30) in a 6-4, 7-5 victory over No. 16 seed Auger-Aliassime in one hour and 43 minutes. Krajinovic will now play Kyle Edmund or qualifier Marco Cecchinato.

In another early upset, Casper Ruud created 17 break point chances in a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory over No. 11 seed Khachanov in two hours and 14 minutes. The Norwegian awaits the winner of Lorenzo Sonego or Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Tennys Sandgren, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Facundo Bagnis, Federico Coria, Dominik Koepfer, Pedro Martinez and Lorenzo Musetti also progressed through qualifying for a place in the main draw.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/dimitro ... 020-monday

[Damian]

Tsitsipas & Felix Enjoy 'Beautiful Scenery' In Hamburg

Spoiler:

Both players are making their debut at this ATP 500 event
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stefanos Tsitsipas are both in Hamburg for the first time this week at the Hamburg European Open. While maintaining safety measures, including social distancing, they made the most of their time in the city on Monday.

The young stars took separate vehicles for a car tour around Hamburg’s harbour, stopping at the Elbe riverbank, which overlooks the Elbphilharmonie (Elbe Philharmonic Hall), a concert hall and Hamburg landmark (officially inaugurated in 2017) in the HafenCity quarter of the city.

“I always enjoy whenever I get to travel as a tennis player and go to different cities week after week,” said Auger-Aliassime, who plays Lorenzo Sonego on Tuesday. “Now we’ve been able today to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Hamburg port in the city, so it’s nice. I’m glad.”

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Tsitsipas was excited for the opportunity to see the city before opening his run at the ATP 500 event against Daniel Evans on Wednesday.

“I appreciate very much that we have the opportunity to be here. It’s great to be outdoors and to explore Hamburg a little bit more,” Tsitsipas said. “I wouldn’t otherwise get the opportunity, so I’m really grateful for that. I’m enjoying it so far. I think the harbour looks great.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/auger-a ... 20-harbour

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Why Felix Has A Great Feeling In Hamburg

Spoiler:

The #NextGenATP Canadian won his opener on Tuesday against Sonego
#NextGenATP star Felix Auger-Aliassime made a successful Hamburg European Open debut on Tuesday, defeating Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6-2, 7-6(2) in one hour and 48 minutes.

The 20-year-old Canadian saved all four break points he faced in the pair’s first ATP Head2Head meeting. Auger-Aliassime lost his opener at last week's Internazionali BNL d’Italia against in-form Serbian Filip Krajinovic. But he remains confident after reaching the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time at the US Open.

“I’m feeling good. I’ve played some good tennis in the past weeks in the United States. Now I feel good physically and mentally,” Auger-Aliassime said on Monday. “I’m ready for the upcoming challenges. It’s going to be a tough week. [ATP] 500 tournaments are always strong ones and especially this week, so we’ll see who the best man is this week. I’m looking forward to playing some good tennis.”

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Auger-Aliassime is especially excited to compete in front of fans for the first time since the ATP Tour resumed last month. While there were no spectators allowed at his match against Sonego, there will be a limited crowd for his second-round battle against Kazakh lucky loser Alexander Bublik, who defeated Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the first round. The new-look Rothenbaum Tennis Stadium is accommodating up to 2,300 fans per day with strict safety measures in place.

“It feels so good. Honestly the feeling is just great,” Auger-Aliassime said. “To be here, it’s a smaller draw. There’s not a full capacity of fans, but still we’re able to hear the applause and have them watch us live and it’s such a special thing as a tennis player. But I think artists and musicians can say the same thing. There’s nothing that replaces the live applause.”

Things aren't only good on the court for the Canadian. On Monday, Auger-Aliassime and second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas took separate vehicles on a car tour around Hamburg’s harbour.

“It’s great. We haven’t had the chance in the latest weeks to get out much, which is normal in these circumstances in the world we live in now,” Auger-Aliassime said. “But at the same time I always enjoy whenever I get to travel as a tennis player and go from different cities week-after-week… now we’ve been able to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Hamburg port and the city. I’m glad.”

Auger-Aliassime is thankful for the efforts of the tournament organisers to make this event possible, and he will try to take full advantage by pursuing his first ATP Tour title.

“I think the people in the past weeks have put in some hard work to make sure the tournament is up and running with safe measures,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Us players, we’re grateful that we have opportunities to play again, to play world-class tournaments.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/auger-a ... 20-tuesday

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

Felix Pursuing Title No. 1: #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime is the highest-ranked player without a tour-level crown. Will he change that this week in Cologne? Auger-Aliassime remains the youngest player in the Top 25 of the FedEx ATP Rankings and he has reached five ATP Tour finals, one of which came in Stuttgart, Germany last year. The 20-year-old will play German Daniel Altmaier or qualifier Henri Laaksonen in the second round.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/st-pete ... eport-2020

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Felix Marches Into Cologne Semi-finals

Spoiler:

Canadian to meet Bautista Agut or Hurkacz for place in final

Felix Auger-Aliassime charged past Radu Albot 6-3, 6-0 on Friday to advance to his fourth ATP Tour semi-final of 2020 at the bett1HULKS Indoors in Cologne.

After dropping serve in the opening game of the match, the #NextGenATP Canadian won 12 of the next 14 games to race to his 20th ATP Tour win of the season (20-14) in 71 minutes. Auger-Aliassime has enjoyed a strong run of results at indoor hard-court events this year, with final appearances at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam and the Open 13 Provence in Marseille.

"Today I had a tougher start than yesterday," said Auger-Aliassime, in an on-court interview. "I didn't start well as I had a blister on my foot, but afterwards everything was good in my game.

“I needed to get into the match. I played better and better, putting pressure on him with my serve. I was going for my shots, even if I was missing a bit at the start. I kept dictating, returned well and got lucky hitting the lines a few times. I saw some openings at the end."

You May Also Like: Zverev Learns Lessons From Harris Victory
Auger-Aliassime, who converted five of six break points against Albot, will next face second seed Roberto Bautista Agut or sixth seed Hubert Hurkacz. The 20-year-old trails Bautista Agut 0-1 in their ATP Head2Head series and won his only previous encounter against Hurkacz at the 2019 Miami Open presented by Itau.

“Hubert is around my age. I played him in juniors, I played him last year in Miami… Playing [Roberto] would obviously be a great match, a great battle and [an opportunity for] me to try and get revenge for a heart-breaking loss last year in Davis Cup.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/auger-a ... 020-friday

[Damian]

Felix Beats Bautista Agut In Cologne, Earns Shot At First Title

Spoiler:

#NextGenATP Canadian will play Zverev in the final
Felix Auger-Aliassime will have a chance to win his first ATP Tour title on Sunday after defeating second seed Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 on Saturday in the semi-finals of the bett1HULKS Indoors in Cologne.

“It’s a good win. It’s good for my confidence to be able to beat Roberto since he beat me last time last year in a tough match,” Auger-Aliassime said on court after his one-hour, 50-minute victory. “Obviously I’m happy to beat a player like this today.”

Auger-Aliassime has previously reached five ATP Tour finals and fallen short in the championship match on each occasion. But on Sunday in Cologne, he will have an opportunity to reverse that trend against top seed Alexander Zverev.

“I’ve practised with him many times back home… hopefully tomorrow I can give myself chances to win. It’s going to be a great battle,” said Auger-Aliassime, who trails their ATP Head2Head series 0-2. “We’ve already played twice and for sure it’s the start of our careers and we’re going to play many times. This is our first final playing [each other] and hopefully not the last.”

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To get to the final, Auger-Aliassime had to battle past the always solid Bautista Agut. In the first set, the 20-year-old Canadian played jaw-dropping tennis, hitting through the court and his opponent, winning 48 per cent of his return points and breaking twice to clinch the opener.

“I think in the first set I played one of the best sets of my career. I was doing everything well,” Auger-Aliassime said. “The ball was going exactly where I wanted [it] to, I was putting pressure [on my opponent] and I felt really good from the start.”

Felix hit a down-the-line forehand into the net to relinquish an immediate break in the second set, which allowed Bautista Agut to settle into the match. The Spaniard made the third seed work hard and used his consistency to force a deciding set.

“In my mind I knew it was going to still be a difficult match, but the way I started playing and with what I had today in me, I just felt like I would get chances at one point during the match. Things got a little more difficult in the second set. I didn’t feel like I played so bad, so I kept believing,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I served way better in the third set than I did in the first two sets and that helped me close the deal.”

The World No. 22 only lost three first-serve points in the third set (19/22) and he saved the one break point he faced to advance to the final. He is now level at 1-1 in his ATP Head2Head series against Bautista Agut.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/bautist ... 0-saturday

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

[Damian]

Will Felix's Sixth Final Be His Title Charm? 'I Can't Look Back'

Spoiler:

#NextGenATP Canadian plays Zverev in Sunday's Cologne final
Felix Auger-Aliassime has long been one of the brightest #NextGenATP talents to watch. One thing he hasn’t done is lift an ATP Tour trophy.

Five times the Canadian has reached a tour-level final and on each occasion he has lost in straight sets. Will the sixth time be the charm? Auger-Aliassime has another chance on Sunday in the bett1HULKS Indoors championship match against World No. 7 Alexander Zverev.

“Obviously it’s unfortunate [what happened in] the past five finals, but that’s in the past now. I think we all try to be as much in the present as we can. It’s not easy to be honest,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I really want to win the final tomorrow. But at the same time, those were five different matches. They were great opponents. The other guys played well. Tomorrow is a new opponent, new venue, new match. I’m a different player and person, also. I can’t look back at all the finals and put them all together in one pot.

“Tomorrow is going to be another one, so I’m going to try to bring the best that I have, which I do every day, and try to win.”


It is seemingly only a matter of time before the 20-year-old, who is currently the No. 22 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings, earns ATP Tour glory. The Canadian won his first ATP Challenger Tour title when he was 16 and he has already tallied two Top 10 victories. But he’ll certainly be happy to earn a trophy at this level.

“It would be great. I’ve been looking forward [to] for the past year-and-a-half. You never know when it’s going to come,” said Auger-Aliassime, who reached his first tour-level final in February 2019 when he was 18.. “Maybe it comes tomorrow, maybe it comes later. Every week you really have a chance.”

Auger-Aliassime faces a difficult foe in top-seeded Zverev, who leads their ATP Head2Head rivalry 2-0. The German, competing in his home country, is fresh off making his first Grand Slam final at the US Open.

“Sascha is a great player. He’s been playing well. [He made the] final in New York, which he was so close to winning. He has the level to beat any player in the world and he’s proven it many times,” Auger-Aliassime said. “This is going to be a tough challenge like my past two finals playing against the Top 10. I accept the challenge, I’m up for it and it can only be exciting for me.”


Zverev won both their previous meetings in straight sets, with none of their four sets going past 6-4, but one of those matches was on clay at last year’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. This will be their first battle indoors. Could this be the first of many finals between Auger-Aliassime and Zverev?

“I want to be at the top level, I want to play well for many years, so does he. Will we be able to do it? We’ll see,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I lost the past two times against him. We’ve practised a lot together. He knows my game well, I know his game well. Tomorrow is going to be a tough battle and hopefully I can get my first win against him in an important match like this.”

This Cologne clash will be Auger-Aliassime’s third final of the season. In both Rotterdam and Marseille, he played Top 10 opponents for the trophy. If Felix is to break through, he will have to earn it against Zverev.

“For sure it would mean a lot. I think I’ve done some good work since that first final, I’ve been improving,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I would be really happy.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/auger-a ... 20-feature

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

[DUN I LOVE]

Miał być GOAT, a tu z Julkiem go zestawiają (nizły grajek był, ale mimo wszystko ).
https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.p ... au.682333/

[Rroggerr]

Finał w Kolonii.

Felix cały czas czeka na pierwszy tytuł (0-6 w finałach).

Felix Auger-Aliassime - przegrane finały (6):
2020 (3) Kolonia, Marsylia, Rotterdam
2019 (3) Stuttgart, Lyon, Rio de Janeiro

[Kamileki]

Charging Canadians: Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov, both of whom had big weeks last week, will try to make their mark in Germany. Auger-Aliassime has already enjoyed success in Cologne, reaching his sixth ATP Tour final at the ATP 250. Shapovalov, who made his first major quarter-final at the US Open, reached the semi-finals at last week’s St. Petersburg Open.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/antwerp ... eport-2020

[Damian]

From Opponents To Students: Felix & Zverev Learn From NHL MVP Draisaitl

Spoiler:

Trio enjoys hockey-tennis crossover before bett1HULKS Championship
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alexander Zverev clashed in the bett1HULKS Indoors final on Sunday. One day later, they both were taken to school.

Auger-Aliassime and Zverev got together in Cologne to learn from NHL Most Valuable Player Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers.

“It was good fun to meet Leon, the MVP this year in the league. [It is cool that he is] playing for a Canadian team, also,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I love to meet athletes from other sports, especially hockey. Myself, I play a little bit for fun in the winter over there [in Canada]. It’s cool to experience it, see them from up close, see how they do and it was impressive to see him take a couple shots at the net.”

Leon Draisaitl, <a href='/en/players/alexander-zverev/z355/overview'>Alexander Zverev</a>
Photo Credit: bett1HULKS Championship/Paul Zimmer
Draisaitl has scored 93 goals and tallied 215 points for his team during the past two seasons, in which he has played 153 games. The hockey superstar was excited to interact with two of the world’s best tennis players. The trio shot pucks at small openings in a hockey net and also played tennis.

“They’re so good, they’re the best in the world. It’s not really my level here, but all in all it was a lot of fun,” Draisaitl said. “It’s fun to do it this way. Obviously as an athlete you always love watching other sports and it’s great to see those two. They’re obviously very successful. It was fun to meet them and had a good day.”

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German No. 1 Zverev enjoyed spending time with his countryman, Draisaitl, before beginning his run at this week’s bett1HULKS Championship. Zverev triumphed at the same venue last week.

“It’s always great to meet other athletes, especially somebody who has won the MVP in such a big sport as ice hockey and the NHL,” Zverev said. “It was great fun, but I’ll definitely stick to tennis.”

Auger-Aliassime and Zverev will put away the hockey sticks for now and refocus on tennis. Fifth-seeded Felix will play Egor Gerasimov in the second round, and Zverev will face John Millman or Fernando Verdasco.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/zverev- ... ey-feature

[Damian]

Felix: Final Losses 'Tough To Accept', But 'I'll Try Again'

Spoiler:

Canadian is pursuing his first ATP Tour final
Felix Auger-Aliassime lost Sunday’s bett1HULKS Indoors final in straight sets, slipping to 0-6 in ATP Tour finals. But his opponent, World No. 7 Alexander Zverev, had no doubt that it’s only a matter of time before the Canadian breaks through.

"Felix, you’re an unbelievable player. I know it doesn’t mean much right now, but I’m sure you are not only going to win one title, you’re going to win multiple, multiple titles in your career, bigger titles than this," Zverev said during the trophy ceremony. "We know each other incredibly well… you’re going to be lifting a winner’s trophy very soon."

The 20-year-old was left searching for answers after his disappointing performance against the top seed. After an impressive win against second seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-finals, Auger-Aliassime wasn’t sure why he was unable to find his best tennis against Zverev.

“Tough to say. [For it to happen] again in a final, it’s tough. I don’t play good [in finals]. I’m not able to play my game,” Auger-Aliassime said. “It’s just tough to accept, so I don’t have much to say outside of I’m disappointed with my level today overall and I’ll try again.”


The Canadian admitted nerves might have played a role.

“For sure,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I’ll try to work and find away around it.”

One reason to remain optimistic is that at only 20, Auger-Aliassime has already played in six tour-level finals. When the Canadian made the Marseille championship match in February, he became the youngest player to reach five tour-level finals since an 18-year-old Rafael Nadal at 2005 Miami.

“That number is good,” Auger-Aliassime said. “But one day I’ll need to find a way to win one of them.”

Auger-Aliassime is the fifth seed at this week's bett1HULKS Championship. He will play Egor Gerasimov in the second round.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/auger-a ... l-reaction

[Damian]

Felix: 'Tonight Showed How Cruel Tennis Can Be'

Spoiler:

#NextGenATP Canadian will next face seventh-seeded Struff or Nishioka
Felix Auger-Aliassime's bett1HULKS opener against Egor Gerasimov was understandably a difficult match for the #NextGenATP Canadian, who struggled in Sunday's Cologne final against Alexander Zverev. But despite being on the brink of defeat against the Belarusian, Auger-Aliassime overcame his nerves and found a way to win.

Gerasimov served for the match at 6-5 in the second set, but Felix, despite failing to serve out the match from 40/0 in the third set, rallied past the qualifier 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4) in two hours and 46 minutes. Auger-Aliassime hit 15 aces and saved five of the seven break points he faced in the deciding set to advance to the quarter-finals at the second ATP 250 event in Cologne in as many weeks.

"Tonight showed how cruel tennis can be sometimes," Auger-Aliassime said in his on-court interview. "He had his chances serving for the match in the second set. I felt like he was playing a great level of tennis. And then I tried to stick in there, stay calm and try different things, adapt. In the end I got a bit nervous serving up three match points, but those are things that happen and I'm for sure really happy I came back in the last game to save it."

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The third set was a roller-coaster full of tension. Three consecutive service breaks sent the momentum back and forth in the middle of the set, resulting in the fifth seed taking a 4-3 lead.

Auger-Aliassime showed shaky nerves when serving out the match at 5-4. From 40/0, he made five consecutive errors — including a double fault — to relinquish his advantage, missing out on three match points in that game.

"That was tough mentally, to be honest. I didn't see that one coming. I was serving well the whole game," Auger-Aliassime said. "Then double fault and he played good points and after you get a bit nervous, I think that's normal. At the end you try your best, you try to stay in the match, which I did mentally."

The World No. 22 let slip a 4/2 advantage in the tie-break, but he crushed a backhand down the line at 4/4, which proved the decisive mini-break.

"I think I can be proud of my effort, because it's not easy whenever you face a situation like this to come back and win the match in the end," Auger-Aliassime said. "This brings me a lot of confidence and I'm for sure happy I got through."

Auger-Aliassime will next face seventh-seeded Struff or Japanese lefty Yoshihito Nishioka. In first-round action earlier in the day, Struff defeated Sardinia finalist Marco Cecchinato 6-3, 6-1.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/auger-a ... -wednesday