Fearless Rune ends Auger-Aliassime streak to reach first Masters 1000 final in Paris
The Dane will take on either Novak Djokovic or Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final on Sunday
Holger Rune and Félix Auger-Aliassime, Rolex Paris Masters, 2022 | © Chryslène Caillaud / Panoramic
Danish teenager Holger Rune continued his stunning week at the Paris Masters as he ended the winning streak of Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime with a 6-4, 6-2 victory at the Accor Arena to reach his first Masters 1000 final.
The 19-yar-old, who began the year ranked No 103, was in control from the start, following up his victory over world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the previous round with a convincing win, his 17th in his past 19 matches.
The Dane has now beaten four top 10 players in a row, he is into a fourth straight final and he’s projected to rise to a career-high No 12 on Monday. He will play either six-time champion Novak Djokovic or Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday’s final.
“The job is finished yet,” said Rune, who gained revenge for his defeat by Auger-Aliassime in the Basel final last weekend. “It was an unbelievable match from my side today, I was just sticking to the game plan, putting Felix under pressure. I’m pleased how I handled it.
Auger-Aliassime runs out of steam
Auger-Aliassime went into the match having won 16 matches in a row, taking him to three straight titles.
But right from the start, he was almost bullied by the power of Rune, whose powerful returns left him with no time to react.
An early break put Rune on his way and with his serve working well, he never looked like relinquishing his lead. After taking the first set, he broke twice in the second set on his way to another commanding victory.
The Dane is through to the final for the loss of just one set, to Swiss Stan Wawrinka (4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (3)), in the opening round. He beat Pole Hubert Hurkacz, the No 10 seed (7-5, 6-1), Russian Andrey Rublev, the No 7 seed (6-4, 7-5) and top seed Carlos Alcaraz, (6-3, 6-6 (1) ret.).
Auger-Aliassime, ranked No 8, beat Swede qualifier Mikael Ymer (6-7 (6), 6-4, 7-6 (6)), French wildcard Gilles Simon (6-1, 6-3) and American Frances Tiafoe, the No 16 seed (6-1, 6-4) earlier in the tournament.
The Canadian will now regroup for this month’s ATP Finals in Milan, while Rune climbs to No 12 in the rankings and heading higher.
Paris Masters 1000, other semi-final result (Accor Arena, EUR 5.415.410):
- Novak Djokovic vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas
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