TURIN, Italy (AP) — Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated two-time champion Alexander Zverev on Friday to clinch the final semifinal spot at the ATP Finals.
The Canadian’s reward is a matchup against Carlos Alcaraz, who has already secured the year-end No. 1 ranking after winning all three of his group matches.
“This is a high-value tournament,” Auger-Aliassime said. “It’s like a big final, and when you see the list of champions, there are a lot of No. 1s. You want to be in the final, but I’ll have to get through a great player to do it. I’ll take the risk if necessary.”
The eighth-seeded Auger-Aliassime prevailed 6-4, 7-6 (4) to join Jannik Sinner in advancing from the Bjorn Borg group. Earlier, Sinner completed a perfect round-robin stage by dispatching an already-eliminated Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Sinner will next face seventh-seeded Alex de Minaur, with the final scheduled for Sunday.
In the winner-take-all match, Auger-Aliassime appeared to handle the pressure better than Zverev. After wasting three set points in the opener, he converted on his fourth.
Zverev failed to capitalize on any of his four break point opportunities and committed 18 of his 27 unforced errors in the second set, during which he repeatedly gestured in frustration toward his team. A missed return into the net handed Auger-Aliassime two match points, and the Canadian needed only one, sealing the victory when Zverev sent a forehand long.
The win marks Auger-Aliassime’s first appearance in the semifinals of the season-ending tournament for the world’s top eight players.
Meanwhile, defending champion Sinner remains the man to beat in Turin. Buoyed by an enthusiastic home crowd, he has not dropped a set or a service game all week. The Italian also won the title last year without losing a set in his five matches.
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