Canadian youngster Felix Auger-Aliassime has truly found his rhythm this season, and his form has carried into the ATP Finals in Turin. After surviving a stern challenge from German third seed Alexander Zverev, he now turns his focus to a high-stakes semifinal against World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. The showdown carries enormous weight for both players, with a win bringing them one step closer to the coveted season-ending title.
Before taking on Alcaraz, Auger-Aliassime made his feelings crystal clear and admitted he’ll need to make the most of every chance on Saturday.
Felix Auger-Aliassime Reflects on Facing Carlos Alcaraz at ATP Finals
Auger-Aliassime entered the ATP Finals in Turin as the eighth seed but couldn’t make an ideal start, falling 7-5, 6-1 to Italian star Jannik Sinner in his opening group match. Still, his confidence didn’t waver, and he bounced back with a gritty 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-5 win over the big-hitting Ben Shelton in his second group-stage match.
The Canadian then faced Alexander Zverev, who held a 6–3 lead in their head-to-head, but the numbers didn’t rattle him. Auger-Aliassime stayed composed throughout, taking the first set 6-4. The second set turned into a grind and went to a tiebreak, where the Canadian held his nerve to close it out 7-6(4) and book his place in the semifinals.
After the win, the 25-year-old was asked about his upcoming showdown with Alcaraz and how facing the World No. 1 at the ATP Finals differs from meeting him at Grand Slams or Masters 1000 events.
“With the Slams, I think … this tournament holds a lot of value for the players. You compete all year, and this is kind of like the grand finale. You look at the list of champions… it’s almost all world No. 1s. So you want to be in that position. You want to be in the finals. But I’m going to have to go through a great player to get there. I have a lot of respect for him, but I’m gonna have to take my chance if I have it,” he said.
Felix Auger Aliassime after beating Zverev to reach 1st ATP Finals SF
“You’re gonna take on the world #1 tomorrow. You’ve been in big semifinals before. Masters and Slams. Where does this rank?”
Felix: “With the Slams I think.. I think this tournament is a very high value for… pic.twitter.com/HQ76xAHfIE
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 14, 2025
Although the two have built a fierce rivalry across seven tour meetings, Alcaraz has taken control in recent times, winning their last four clashes and leading the head-to-head 4–3. Their most recent showdown came in the semifinals of the Paris Olympics last year, where Alcaraz convincingly won 6-1, 6-1. The winner of their upcoming semifinal will advance to face either Alex de Minaur or Jannik Sinner in the summit clash.
