Felix Auger-Aliassime Wins Second Consecutive ATP Title

Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime extended his successful run at the Firenze Open on Sunday by defeating American Sebastian Korda and claiming his second consecutive ATP Tour title at the European Open.

Auger-Aliassime, who hails from Montreal, entered the tournament on a high after winning the Firenze Open, has been on a roll of late. The win saw the Canadian superstar defeating Sebastian Korda in two sets (6-3, 6-4) and recording his second victory of the year.

“It’s amazing you know, to win again, back-to-back tournaments, and to win for the first time here in Antwerp against a player like Sebi (Korda) who is a fantastic player — one of the greats to come”, said Auger-Aliassime. “

Auger-Aliassime also added that it was a tough week, stating, “I had to play many tough matches — tough physically. So, to push through and win today, it was amazing. I’m just super thrilled and happy to get another title.”

Auger-Aliassime got off to a strong start, scoring five aces in the hour and 25-minute opening set and had an 85% first-serve success rate. The Montreal native also managed to convert two break point chances and put a stop to four of Korda’s.

Adding two more aces in the second set, Felix Auger-Aliassime entered the match, having only broken once in three matches. The win now puts the Canadian at a 2-1 edge in career matchups over Korda, with the first meeting between the two at the Estoril Open in April also ending in a two-set victory in favour of Korda.

“You got me good last time we played, so I’m happy I was able to get a win over you,” said Auger-Aliassime to Korda. “You’re such a great player, so keep going like this and good luck to you and your team for the rest of the year.”

Ranked 10th in the world, Auger-Aliassime, has now raked up three ATP Tour titles during his career, with one of those being February’s Rotterdam Open. After failing to score any victories during his first eight ATP Tour finals matches, he has scored three of his last four finals, and all of those came in straight set victories.

At 3-2 in the first set Auger-Aliassime got his first service break and extended his lead with a drop shot, which he followed with a forehand line shot. After losing one more game, he managed to hold on to over in the last two games and won the set.

Auger-Aliassime was also able to gain an advantage over Korda in the second set, with the two tied 2-2, the Canadian managed to break Korda’s serve, and after going up 3-2, he was able to retain his lead and score his second finals victory on the season.

In other tennis news, Canadian Bianca Andreescu lost in straight sets to one of the most consistent players in the WTA, American Jessica Pegula. The American, who won both sets 6-4, used her efficiency and steady performance to win both sets during the round of 16 at one of the WTA 1000’s most prestigious events in Mexico, the Guadalajara Open.

Andreescu, who managed to jump into a 2-0 lead in the first set, soon unravelled after multiple unforced errors, the worst of which was a forehand wing. The  Canadian, whose frustration was evident several times during the match, managed to save four set points after going down 3-5 against Pegula.

However, the American scored some big first serves when they were needed most, and that got Pegula out of trouble and led to her eventually winning the opening set. Thereafter, it was a one-way show for Pegula in the second set until Andreescu managed to fight back and make Pegula work for the win.

At 5-4, Pegula quickly found herself down 0-30 before upping the ante to score four back-to-back points and secure a second set victory. The win puts the American at 2-1 against Andreescu, who will next prepare for next month’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Glasgow, Scotland. For bettors, they can get a jump on the odds for the BJK Cup Finals by registering and taking up Canadian bookmakers on their welcome offers and their extensive ATP and WTA tennis coverage.