It's only a matter of time until Felix Auger-Aliassime secures his first ATP singles title, but Sunday was not the day.
Playing in his third final of 2019, the world No. 21 fell to Matteo Berrettini 6-4, 7-6(11) in the final of the 2019 Stuttgart Open. Auger-Aliassime has yet to win a set in any of his final matches.
Both players found the majority of their success on their serves, as they each won at least 74 percent of their respective service points. Auger-Aliassime never pushed Berrettini to a break point while the 30th-ranked Italian managed to break his serve once on six chances.
🇨🇦 Felix Auger-Aliassime in 2019...
— John Horn (@SportsHorn) June 16, 2019
$903,575 in Prize Money
World No. 21 (Youngest player in Top 25 since 1999)
3 ATP Finals (2 on clay, 1 on grass)
14-5 Tiebreak Record
24-13 Match Record
Youngest player to reach 3 SF on 3 different surfaces since 1999#ATP #MercedesCup pic.twitter.com/VxEtfFWkT9
The 18-year-old Canadian may have saved his best effort until it was too late. He forced a 24-point tiebreak before Berrettini was able to enjoy his victory. Berrettini took a moment after the match to credit Auger-Aliassime's efforts.
"You cannot understand how young he is. He's unbelievable!"
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 16, 2019
Nice words from Berrettini for beaten finalist @felixtennis 🤗#MercedesCup pic.twitter.com/qnvuyRiqzO
"You cannot understand how young he is," Berrettini said. "He's unbelievable. He's doing a really great job."