Felix Auger-Aliassime claims maiden ATP title in Rotterdam
Feb 14, 2022
Rotterdam [Netherlands], February 14 : Felix Auger-Aliassime captured his maiden ATP Tour title at the World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam on Sunday.
Competing in his ninth tour-level final, the third seed stepped up and handled the pressure, overcoming Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-2 in 78 minutes to triumph in ATP 500 tournament.
Auger-Aliassime, who edged Andrey Rublev in three sets to reach the championship match at the ATP 500 event, was relentless from the start against the Greek in a dominant performance. The 21-year-old fired his aggressive groundstrokes through the court and targeted the World No. 4's backhand from the baseline to great effect to earn the biggest win of his career.
"It has not been the smoothest road since my first final three years ago," Auger-Aliassime said during the trophy ceremony. "It is an amazing day for me to get my first title and especially here. I played my first ATP main draw here a couple of years ago, so it is right I won my first title here."
Prior to his showdown against Tsitsipas, the Canadian held an 0-8 record in tour-level finals and had not won a set in any of those matches.