In a battle between two previously impenetrable services on Sunday at the Swiss Indoors Basel, it was Félix Auger-Aliassime who stood firm.
Neither the Canadian nor Holger Rune had been beaten en route to the title shot at the ATP 500 event in Switzerland, but Auger-Aliassime twice landed the Dane’s delivery to seal a 6-3 win, 7-5 and lift his third straight ATP round. Title.
“It’s been an amazing week,” Auger-Aliassime said after the game. “Again in the final, not to break all week… [It’s been] a long year, a long winning streak, and it’s not over. I hope I can carry on, but right now I’m feeling all the good emotions that come with winning a tournament. It’s incredible.”
FAA UP 📈
The moment @felixtennis capture it #SwissIndoorsBasel title and his 13th consecutive victory! pic.twitter.com/shaE8mKife
– Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 30, 2022
It was Auger-Aliassime’s 13th consecutive win at tour level, extending his personal winning streak. The hour and 40 minute triumph also propelled the 22-year-old to sixth place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.
Having now edged out Andrey Rublev, the Canadian’s searing form allowed him to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. With seventh the last to guarantee qualification for the season finale, Auger-Aliassime is now 725 points clear of eighth-placed Taylor Fritz as the head player at this week’s Rolex Paris Masters.
Auger-Aliassime is the third player to win an ATP Tour title without losing a service match in 2022. Taylor Fritz and Nick Kyrgios also achieved the feat with their triumphs in Eastbourne and Washington, respectively. Rune, who despite losing will break the Top 20 of the Pepperstone ATP rankings for the first time on Monday, acknowledged that the Canadian’s delivery was key.
“I tried to dictate the rally every time I had the chance, and it was very difficult today,” said the Dane. “He served probably the best I’ve ever played against, close to the line, so precise, over 200 kilometers per hour.
“It was very hard. I got a few break points and he served aces, so I can’t blame myself for not breaking him.
As they had done all week in Basel, Auger-Aliassime’s powerful serve and forehand came to light early against Rune. The Canadian didn’t face a break point in the opening set and picked up a decisive break in game four to claim the opener.
Things weren’t so simple in the second set. A fiery Rune, striking particularly cleanly from his backhand wing, scored a break point in the second game and two more at 15/40 in the seventh. Yet each time, Auger-Aliassime brought down his opponent with huge deliveries. The Canadian finished with 11 aces and won 78% (36/46) of the points behind his first serve.
The match was finally decided in a thrilling 11th game of the second set, as Auger-Aliassime’s base strike put pressure on Rune’s serve. He finally broke through on his fourth break point to advance 6-5, before serving at love for his fourth ATP Tour title of the season.
Auger-Aliassime was delighted to have his name join that of Roger Federer on the list of trophy winners in Basel. The Canadian counts the Swiss great, who was a 10-time champion in his hometown, as his childhood idol.
“It’s really cool,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I actually thought of him this morning and thought how cool it would be if I won here, where he’s won 10 times. I’m a long way from that, but it’s so cool to having my name with all these great champions in this prestigious tournament. Lifting the trophy is definitely going to feel special.
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