Montreal’s Félix Auger-Aliassime secured a hard-fought victory over France’s Alexandre Muller at the Paris Masters, advancing to the Round of 16 with a narrow 5-7, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) win. Auger-Aliassime relied on his dominant serve, recording 21 aces and an impressive average first-serve speed of 206 kilometers per hour. Sitting at ninth place, Auger-Aliassime is aiming for a strong performance at the ATP 1000 event to close in on the eighth spot currently held by Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the ATP Race To Turin standings.
In a stroke of luck for Auger-Aliassime, Musetti suffered a surprise defeat to fellow Italian Lorenzo Sonego, opening up an opportunity for the Canadian player. Despite winning an ATP 250 event in Belgium recently, Auger-Aliassime had to withdraw from a quarterfinal match in Basel due to a back injury, potentially missing out on crucial points.
After a challenging start where Muller took the first set, Auger-Aliassime fought back, breaking Muller’s momentum to force a tiebreak. Overcoming deficits in the tiebreak, Auger-Aliassime showcased his resilience, eventually clinching the match. Auger-Aliassime will next face Daniel Altmier in the Round of 16, holding a 1-2 career record against the German.
Meanwhile, at the Hong Kong Open, Leylah Fernandez advanced to the quarterfinals with a commanding 6-4, 6-1 victory over Germany’s Eva Lys. Fernandez, the tournament’s second seed, demonstrated her dominance by winning 73% of her first-serve points and breaking Lys four times during the match. Fernandez, who recently won the Japan Open title, extended her winning streak with this victory and is set to take on seventh-seeded Sorana Cirstea of Romania in the next round.