Félix Auger-Aliassime warded off bad luck. After eight unsuccessful attempts, the Quebecer finally claimed his first ATP Tour singles title on Sunday when he won the Rotterdam tournament in the Netherlands.
The order was big for Auger-Aliassime, seeded third, who faced the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, fourth racket in the world and favorite of the tournament.
The Quebecer, however, was never worried. He completely dominated the game and won 6-4, 6-2.
It was the ninth appearance in the final of an ATP singles tournament for Auger-Aliassime. The 21-year-old Quebecer notably lost in the final match of the same tournament in 2020, against Frenchman Gaël Monfils.
Once his victory was confirmed, Auger-Aliassime jumped for joy with his fist in the air, in addition to letting out a cry of both pride and relief.
Auger-Aliassime showed his colors from the start of the clash, breaking his rival’s serve in the first game. Tsitsipas could not do the same, which allowed the Quebecer to take a 3-1 lead. Auger-Aliassime finally got his hands on the first set when his rival sent his ball into the net.
The Quebecer was imperial in the first set, scoring five aces and committing no double faults. His opponent for his part committed three double faults. Auger-Aliassime won all his points – 16 – on the first serve.
As he had done in the first set, Auger-Aliassime broke his opponent from the start in the second set. Again, he was never bothered. The Montrealer notably returned a powerful serve from his opponent to take a 40-0 lead.
But Auger-Aliassime was not yet satisfied. He scored a second break of service, his third of the game, to take a 3-1 lead. His forehands were powerful, forcing Tsitsipas to make mistakes.
He continued his momentum thereafter, to the point where Tsitsipas never came close to breaking him. The Quebecer was thus able to confirm his victory after one hour, 17 minutes.
Tsitsipas and Auger-Aliassime crossed swords for the eighth time in their career. The Quebecer won the first two duels, but he lost the flag in the next five. Auger-Aliassime’s last win against the Greek was in 2019.
Tsitsipas had defeated the Quebecer another time in a final, in Marseille in 2020.
Auger-Aliassime qualified for the final by defeating the 7th player in the world, Russian Andrey Rublev, on Saturday.
The Rotterdam tournament, at the ATP 500 level, is presented on a hard surface, indoors.