Félix Auger-Aliassime progressed to the semifinals of the Paris Masters tennis tournament, earning valuable points towards qualifying for the year-end ATP Finals. He secured a 6-2, 6-2 victory against wildcard Valentin Vacherot of Monaco, setting up a showdown with 13th-seed Alexander Bublik from Kazakhstan in the next round.
This win brought Auger-Aliassime within 90 points of Lorenzo Musetti in the race for the eighth spot at the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy. Auger-Aliassime had been battling through tough three-set matches and tiebreaks leading up to the quarterfinals, while Vacherot was on an impressive 10-match winning streak at the ATP 1000 level.
Despite Vacherot’s strong form, Auger-Aliassime showcased exceptional performance, winning 89% of first-serve points and saving both break points he faced. Auger-Aliassime expressed the challenge of facing a confident opponent like Vacherot but credited his intense focus and level of play for his success.
He dominated on return points, holding Vacherot to just 6-of-39 while breaking him four times. Auger-Aliassime, seeded ninth in the tournament, is aiming for his ninth career title and first at the Masters level. Meanwhile, Bublik advanced to the semifinals with a hard-fought 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-5 victory over sixth-seed Alex de Minaur.
In another exciting matchup, Canadians Victoria Mboko and Leylah Fernandez will meet in the semifinals of the Hong Kong Open after both players secured wins in the quarterfinals. Fernandez, the No. 2 seed, defeated Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 6-4, while Mboko, seeded No. 3, advanced with a walkover against Russian Anna Kalinskaya.
The winner of their semifinal clash will face either Spain’s Cristina Bucsa or Australia’s Maya Joint. With Mboko ranked 21st and Fernandez ranked 22nd, the stage is set for a thrilling encounter between the two Canadians.