Auger-Aliassime sees progress despite Sinner defeat: 'It's not a huge gap between us'
Felix Auger-Aliassime’s inspired run at the Rolex Paris Masters ended one step shy of glory on Sunday, when he fell 6-4, 7-6(4) to Jannik Sinner in the final. It was a match defined by slim margins — a few loose points, a few blistering serves from his opponent — but also by the re-emergance of the Canadian as a serious contender on the biggest stages.
Despite defeat, Auger-Aliassime leaves the French capital with a major consolation: His surge to the final has lifted him into eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, strengthening his bid for a second appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals. The 25-year-old has a 160-point lead over ninth-placed Lorenzo Musetti, who will compete at the ATP 250 in Athens.
“It was difficult on the court having to sit there rethinking a few points,” Auger-Aliassime said after their one-hour, 52-minute final. “Having to just accept that the match is over and that once — as long as I’m in the match, even match point down, you feel you have a chance to come back, you have belief.
“But when it’s over, you just have to accept that. I wish I had a better start, I wish I didn’t make those mistakes to start the match with, I can’t give him that at the level he plays. I wish I would have been able to find a way to put more pressure on his serve. But he was serving great, coming up with great serves every time. I have to move on and focus on the positives.”
If the final sting was sharp, the broader picture was bright. Auger-Aliassime’s run through the draw — which included comeback wins in his opening three matches — featured confident, attacking tennis and a renewed sense of belief.
“I had a really fun week, good week, great tennis, obviously with high stakes and high pressure, coming up with a good level when I needed to,” said Auger-Aliassime. “I can thank the crowd as well. All the way through they were supporting me. Even today you felt that. They wanted a third set, they wanted more tennis, as I wanted. They were great all week.”
Auger-Aliassime boasts a Tour-leading 82 indoor wins this decade, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Seven of his eight ATP Tour titles have come in these conditions, including this year in Marseille and Brussels.
Against Sinner in his second ATP Masters 1000 final, the loss wasn’t about gulf in class but more about fractions in execution.
“For me, it’s not a huge gap. I’m getting closer every match we play against each other,” said Auger-Aliassime, who trails Sinner 2-3 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. “This match was more tight. At the US Open, I managed to win a set and lost the first and the fourth in a difficult way.
“But what we saw today was that it was close. Everything was on the quality of his serve, the quality of his return game. Hats off to him on that point. There’s a part of me that says ‘There are moments where I could play better’. I’m still a bit sour for some moments of the match.”
Auger-Aliassime was quick to acknowledge the quality of Sinner, who reclaimed the World No. 1 spot with his win. The 24-year-old Italian dropped just four of 44 first-serve points across the match en route to his 23rd tour-level title.
The loss may have stung, but Auger-Aliassime leaves Paris with renewed purpose and in a strong position to qualify for the prestigious season finale. He made his debut in Turin in 2022, when he scored a victory against Rafael Nadal.
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