Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime cruised to a 6-3, 6-4 win over Rafael Nadal in the ATP Finals round robin on Tuesday.
Auger-Aliassime, seeded fifth in the season-ending men’s championship, won 81% of his first service points and delivered 15 aces
The win brings Auger-Aliassime’s round robin record to 1-1 after the Canadian lost Sunday’s opener 7-6(4), 6-4 to Norway’s Casper Ruud.
Nadal, meanwhile, falls to 0-2 with one game to play in pool.
Auger-Aliassime will next meet eighth-seeded American Taylor Fritz, who was scheduled to meet Ruud later on Tuesday.
Nadal will be eliminated from the event if Fritz falls to the 23-year-old Norwegian.
“I’m one win, one loss now. If I can get two wins, hopefully I can go through, so let’s see how it goes,” Auger-Aliassime said. “They’ll play tonight and I’ll be ready for Taylor in two days. It won’t be easy. He’s played very well this year and these conditions are perfect for him.”
It was the Montreal native’s first career victory against the 22-time Grand Slam champion. Nadal had beaten Auger-Aliassime twice before, including a grueling five-set decision at Roland Garros in May.
Auger-Aliassime blasted his way into the season-ending elite event in Turin, Italy, on the back of an impressive 16-game winning streak, which has led to victories in three of the last four events in the league. ATP Tour of the Year.
The Canadian credited his coach Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal’s uncle and ex-coach, for his recent success.
“He was a big help to me. I have a lot of respect for him and his family. It’s special to play against Rafa with Toni here, but at the same time we are competitors and we do our best. better,” Auger said. – Aliassime.
Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., is the only other Canadian to qualify for the ATP Tour World Finals, having competed in the event in 2014 and 2016. Raonic lost in the semi-finals in 2016 and lost both matches in 2014.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on November 15, 2022.
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