- Holger Rune elevated his outstanding late-season form, breaking Felix Auger-16-match Aliassime’s winning run
- In a matchup between two of the ATP Tour’s top players, Rune quickly asserted control
- Rune struggled to break the Auger-Aliassime serve over the course of two close sets
At the Paris Masters on Saturday, Holger Rune elevated his outstanding late-season form, breaking Felix Auger-16-match Aliassime’s winning run and advancing to his first ATP Masters 1000 final.
In a matchup between two of the ATP Tour’s top players, Rune quickly asserted control. He used his forceful groundstrokes to control play wherever possible and put pressure on the Auger-Aliassime serve.
Both players were vying to advance to their respective fourth straight ATP Tour final, but 19-year-old Rune won easily after converting three of his eight break points.
“It was an unbelievable match from my side today. I really was sticking to the game plan for the whole match and just taking every chance I got. Putting Felix under pressure, that’s what my game plan was all about, and I managed to do it almost perfectly. I am super proud of how I handled everything,” after the game, Rune stated.
After defeating Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Auger-Aliassime in his previous four matches in Paris, Rune will now try to win Sunday’s championship match by defeating five Top 10 opponents in a row.
Rune will get into the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday with a victory over either six-time Paris champion Novak Djokovic or Stefanos Tsitsipas.
After Auger-victory Aliassime’s in the Basel final on Sunday in straight sets, they faced off again in Saturday’s semifinal, their second encounter in as many days. The Canadian, however, was unable to match Rune’s effort or calibre in Paris as the Dane soundly ended Auger-unbeaten Aliassime’s streak.
In Basel, Rune struggled to break the Auger-Aliassime serve over the course of two close sets, but this time, he managed to do so in just the third game of the encounter.
The Dane took a 2-1 lead thanks to some clever returning and Auger-successful Aliassime’s forehand drive volley on break point, and he easily held on to win the set. In the first set, the Dane made 89 percent (24/27) of his first serves.
Auger-Aliassime failed to replicate the quality of play he had displayed throughout his incredible winning streak despite a few moments of brilliance. The winner of Florence, Antwerp, and Basel was unable to consistently block Rune’s advances to the net, and the Dane quickly built a 4-0 lead in the second set on his way to earning his 18th tour-level victory in 20 matches.
Between trips to the championship game in Sofia and Basel, Rune won his second ATP Tour title in Stockholm, contributing to his impressive recent record.
The 19-year-old Dane’s success this week in Paris has propelled him up six spots to No.12 in the ATP Live Rankings, and his outstanding results have solidified his place as one of the favourites for the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan next week.
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