Felix Auger-Aliassime leads day of comebacks at ATP Finals

TURIN – Felix Auger-Aliassime got his ATP Finals bid up and running on Nov 12 by beating Ben Shelton 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-5 in two hours, 25 minutes ahead of Jannik Sinner’s clash with Alexander Zverev.

The Canadian won just his second ever match at the season-ending tournament with a battling display in Turin, coming back from a poor start to boost his hopes of reaching the semi-finals.

His win means that world No. 2 Sinner will qualify from the Bjorn Borg Group if he beats Zverev on Nov 12 (Nov 13, Singapore time) in front of a partisan home crowd.

Auger-Aliassime’s imposing service game, which included nine aces, eventually broke down Shelton, whose erratic play cost him a debut win at the Finals.

The 25-year-old showed no signs of the calf problem which affected his opening loss to Sinner, and he will face Zverev on Nov 14 with a chance of making the knockout stage.

Shelton looked to be in control when he won the first set at the first opportunity, breaking Auger-Aliassime’s serve for the second time just after having his initial break cancelled out.

Auger-Aliassime won a tight second set which went with serve until the tiebreak, when Shelton had to save three sets points before eventually conceding the match lead with a double fault.

And he won the match at the third time of asking at the end of another bruising set, breaking Shelton and getting a win on the board.

“He was playing much better than me at the start,” said Auger-Aliassime.

“It’s not often that I get broken twice in the first set indoors… It was a weird start, but as the match went on I was finding ways to put returns in the court. Once we engaged in the rallies, I felt like I could win more. You just have to fight, believe, and play the next point the right way.

“I felt great, physically... Today I was able to play two-and-a-half hours of high-intensity tennis. I have to give him credit, he kept coming up with great serves. When the opponent plays that well, you have to give him credit, but also to myself for staying cool.”

On Nov 11, Italian Lorenzo Musetti, backed by the Turin crowd, made a remarkable comeback from the brink to defeat Alex de Minaur 7-5, 3-6, 7-5.

After celebrating with his team, Musetti wrote a message on the television camera: “fino alla fine” – Italian for “until the end” – a slogan used by football club Juventus whom he supports.

He was the last man to arrive for the event as he was drafted in to replace Novak Djokovic, who withdrew after winning the Athens title. A day earlier, Musetti had lost to 2024 finalist Taylor Fritz, and knew another defeat would bring elimination.

Musetti took the first set easily and had de Minaur on the rails early in the second set, only for the Australian to survive and go on to force a decider.

De Minaur took a 2-0 lead and then held serve to go 5-3 up, but Musetti went on to win the next four games and claim the match, beating his chest after winning dramatic points and rallying the crowd who needed little encouragement.

“I’m a warrior,” Musetti said. “I have improved a lot on the mental side and I am pushing myself to the limit because I am playing every match against the top players.

“At the end with a big heart and big passion for this game, I don’t know from where, I started to feel better and play better and the support of the crowd is amazing.”

Musetti will next face world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz on Nov 13, when a win is needed to survive against a player who has won both his matches. AFP, REUTERS