Open 13 2020: Felix Auger-Aliassime advances to final

Rudi Schuller

Open 13 2020: Felix Auger-Aliassime advances to final image

It's been a good month for Felix Auger-Aliassime, and on Sunday he'll have the chance to make it even better.

The Canadian teenager booked a spot in the final of the Open 13 Provence tournament after defeating France's Gilles Simon 7-5, 7-6(2) on Saturday, marking the second consecutive tournament in which Auger-Aliassime has advanced to the final. The Montreal native fell to Gael Monfils at the Rotterdam Open last Sunday, but his victory over Simon gives Auger-Aliassime another chance to win his first ATP Tour title.

It was a straight-sets win for Auger-Aliassime on Saturday, but the two-hour match was anything but a walk for the world No. 18.

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Auger-Aliassime had to overcome a big deficit in the opening set after finding himself down 5-2 to the veteran Frenchman. The 19-year-old claimed the next five games, successfully breaking Simon's serve twice while keeping his own serves clean en route to the comeback set victory.

The second set was much more of a give-and-take, as neither man allowed a break-point opportunity, eventually forcing a tiebreak. Auger-Aliassime shone in the set decider, losing just two points as he cruised into the final.

Auger-Aliassime will face world No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the championship match Sunday. The young Canuck holds a 2-1 career record against Tsitsipas.

Rudi Schuller