He exudes confidence. He excels in every aspect of the game. And he wins, time and time again. Félix Auger-Aliassime won his third title in three weeks and his 13e consecutive victory, Sunday, at the Basel tournament.
Posted at 11:54 a.m.
The day after his victory against world number 1, Auger-Aliassime appeared just as pumped up as he has been for three weeks to defeat the young Dane Holger Rune in two sets of 6-3 and 7-5.
It makes you wonder who will be able to stop the Quebecer by the end of the season. Nobody got there in Florence, then in Antwerp. Now he’s doing it again in Switzerland. To believe that the fatigue does not reach him.
PHOTO ARND WIEGMANN, REUTERS
Felix Auger-Aliassime
True to form, the 22-year-old quickly shone in service. Rune, 19, however, has also shown his expertise in this area.
Combative, the Dane did well in the first round in front of a still superior Auger-Aliassime. Explosive and excellent at the net, the latter had the upper hand in a first set which lasted only 34 minutes.
The second race proved to be much tighter, until the very end. Rune put pressure on the Quebecer, who seemed to show some signs of fatigue. Nothing to stop him from winning.
Serving at 5-5, Rune was played a few tricks by Auger-Aliassime. Frustration started to take hold of the Dane; he kicked the racket a few times after dropping a point. FAA broke it nonetheless, before winning the last game to end the duel.