Félix Auger-Aliassime will be in the final of the Rotterdam tournament, after defeating Russian Andrey Rublev in three sets of 6-7(5), 6-4 and 6-2 on Saturday.
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The Quebecer showed resilience against the second seed, after dropping the first set in a tiebreaker. The 21-year-old relied on his serve, hitting 11 aces and protecting all seven break points that stalked him in the duel.
Third favorite of the tournament, Auger-Aliassime did not look back after winning the second set, even pushing Rublev to great moments of frustration at the end of the match.
This is the first defeat in three clashes against “FAA” for Rublev.
Previously in Rotterdam, Auger-Aliassime showed Belarus representative Egor Gerasimov, ex-world number one Andy Murray and Britain’s Cameron Norrie the exit.
He still hasn’t won a singles title on the ATP Tour, despite appearing in eight finals. It will be his first in 2022, he who had previously lowered the flag to Marin Cilic at the Stuttgart Open last June.
For this decisive duel, the Quebecer will face Stefanos Tsitsipas, favorite of this tournament of the ATP 500 series. The Greek beat the player from the qualifications Jiri Lehecka 4-6, 6-4 and 6-2, earlier Saturday.
Auger-Aliassime and Tsitsipas know each other well, having faced each other seven times. The latter, however, won in their last five meetings, including in another final, at the Omnium 13 Provence in Marseille, in February 2020.