Felix Auger-Aliassime is making his case for a place at the Nitto ATP Finals loud and clear.

The Canadian won his second title in as many weeks on Sunday when he defeated Sebastian Korda 6-3, 6-4 for the European Open trophy in Antwerp.

“It’s another great week. I played some great tennis and really fought hard to stand here in front of you today, so big shoutout and thank you to my team,” Auger-Aliassime said during the trophy ceremony. “My coach and my physio [are] here and my whole family that came all week, so thank you very much, it’s been a great week.

“It wouldn’t be so special of course [if we weren’t] in front of all of you. That’s why we play tennis, to play in front of big numbers of people like this on centre court, so thank you all for coming in big numbers this week.”

Auger-Aliassime remains seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, but he now holds a 340-point lead over eighth-placed Taylor Fritz. Auger-Aliassime currently holds the final qualifying position because 10th-placed Novak Djokovic has guaranteed his place under the Grand Slam champion provision, which awards entry to a current-year major winner who finishes between eighth and 20th in the Live Race.

The Canadian arrived in Florence last week fresh off a first-round exit in Astana. Since then, the 22-year-old has won eight consecutive matches, with six of those victories coming in straight sets. He produced a nearly flawless performance on Sunday to earn the Antwerp crown after one hour and 26 minutes.

Earlier this year, Korda defeated Auger-Aliassime 6-2, 6-2 on the clay of Estoril. This proved to be a very different match, with the Canadian taking a 2-1 lead in their ATP Head2Head series.

“You got me good last time we played, so I’m happy I was able to get a win over you,” Auger-Aliassime said. “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.”

Auger-Aliassime earned his first service break at 3-2 in the first set, hitting a stunning forehand passing shot up the line to secure the lead. The three-time ATP Tour titlist did not relinquish control of the match after that.

The 22-year-old controlled his service games with his big serving, but he also changed the rhythm well with timely drop shots. Korda, who was trying to claim his second ATP Tour title, struggled to consistently put his opponent under pressure.

The American earned his biggest opportunity at 2-1 in the second set, when he held two break points at 15/40. Korda was not able to convert those opportunities, and Auger-Aliassime not only held his serve in that game, but broke his opponent’s in the next.

Auger-Aliassime finished his victory in style, holding to love before unleashing a big roar in celebration as his team stood and applauded their man’s effort. Both Auger-Aliassime and Korda will travel to Basel, where they will compete in the ATP 500 event.

Korda was unable to lift the trophy, but he will take confidence from advancing to consecutive finals in Gijon (l. to Rublev) and Antwerp.

“Back to back finals is a great achievement,” Korda said during the trophy ceremony. “Unfortunately we couldn’t get it done today, but we’ll be back in the next coming weeks and hopefully we [will] go one step further.”

Did You Know?
Auger-Aliassime lost his first eight ATP Tour finals, but has since won three of four championship matches, with all three of his victories coming in straight sets.

Lorenzo Musetti capped his stunning week at the Tennis Napoli Cup on Sunday when the 20-year-old prevailed 7-6(5), 6-2 against Matteo Berrettini in an all-Italian championship match in Naples.

The fourth-seeded Musetti claimed a pulsating 82-minute opening set against his countryman by staying consistent to clinch the only point against serve in the tie-break. Moving a set ahead seemed to invigorate the #NextGenATP star to find an even higher level, and his clean hitting off both wings overwhelmed Berrettini in the second set as he accelerated to a two-hour, one-minute victory.

“It was a really tough first set,” said Musetti in his on-court interview. “Very long and [no breaks]. Matteo is [a competitor], he was not 100 per cent physically. His capacity to stay until the end, to fight until the end, was a big problem for me to solve.

“Today I think I played not the best tennis because I think we were both really emotional, really nervous and there was a lot of tension, but in the important moments I played better. It’s really nice to be here with my family, with the crowd, and it’s a really big win for me and an important moment for my career.”

Berrettini had struggled with a foot injury in his semi-final win against Mackenzie McDonald on Saturday but the World No. 16 looked to be moving well as he and Musetti played out a series of exhilarating early exchanges from the baseline to the delight of the home crowd. It was Musetti who maintained his level to take the opener, however, as a single Berrettii unforced error on his own serve at 3/3 in the tie-break proved decisive.

Musetti immediately took control of the second set by breaking for 1-0 in the second set and the the fourth seed never looked like relinquishing that advantage as he effectively manouevered the physically fading Berrettini around the court. He broke the big-serving second seed again in the seventh game and completed victory having won 85 per cent (35/41) of points behind his own first delivery.

Musetti moved past Laslo Djere, Daniel Elahi Galan, Miomir Kecmanovic and Berrettini this week in Naples to clinch his second ATP Tour crown. He is the ninth player on Tour to win a title in 2022 without dropping a set.

“I think it was the perfect week,” said Musetti after his victory. “I didn’t lose a set so I’m really happy about that, and I’m really happy about the game I showed. Sometimes you have to work hard to bring success and consistency in my game, so I’m really proud of myself and my team.”

Having also reached the semi-finals on the indoor hard courts in Florence last week, Musetti carries significant momentum into the final weeks of the 2022 season. The Italian is currently third in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan and has already secured his spot at November’s Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals for the second consecutive year.

Just three ATP Tour events remain this year before the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan and the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, two of which will be played this coming week.

The Swiss Indoors Basel and the Erste Bank Open in Vienna will provide some of the final opportunities for players to jockey for qualification for the year-end events, with the Milan field being finalised after this week’s play. 

Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud lead the field in Basel, while Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are the top seeds in Vienna.

ATPTour.com looks ahead at five things to watch from each event.

View Draws: Basel | Vienna

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN BASEL:
1) Alcaraz Returns: Playing in his second ATP Tour event since claiming the US Open title and reaching World No. 1, the Spaniard will look to bounce back from a shock first-round exit in Astana earlier this month. The top seed in Basel will contest an intriguing opening-round match against #NextGen ATP Briton Jack Draper as he bids to strengthen his position atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. 

2) Refreshed Ruud: The Norwegian rose to a career-high No. 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings following his run to the US Open final, but Ruud struggled to a 1-2 record in his past two events, making early exits as the top seed in Seoul and Tokyo. With the benefit of three full weeks off to recharge, the 23-year-old will be put to the test immediately in Basel as he opens against home favourite Stan Wawrinka, a two-time Swiss Indoors Basel semi-finalist.

3) Red-Hot Felix Chases Turin Debut: The 22-year-old Canadian owns the seventh spot in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, which would be the final qualification place should Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic remain outside the Top 8. Auger-Aliassime enters Basel on the heels of titles in Florence and Antwerp. He will face Switzerland’s Marc-Andrea Huesler in the first round. 

4) Veteran Stars Murray, Wawrinka In Bottom Half: While Wawrinka opens against Ruud, Murray will open against Roman Safiullin after Sebastian Korda withdrew. Wawrinka is seeking his first win since a semi-final run in Metz late last month, while Murray reached the Gijon quarter-finals in his last outing, losing to Korda in three sets. Murray is competing in Basel for the first time since 2005, when he was 18.

5) #NextGenATP Party: Lorenzo Musetti, Holger Rune, Draper, Brandon Nakashima and Dominic Stricker are all competing in Basel. Of that group, only Musetti, Rune and Draper have locked in their places at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals. Nakashima is closing in on his second consecutive appearance, while Stricker is trying to make his tournament debut. Naples champion Musetti is seeded eighth in Basel and faces Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the opening round, while Stockholm winner Rune takes on seventh seed Alex de Minaur.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN VIENNA:
1) Medvedev Back After Astana Injury: Medvedev was involved in a match-of-the-year contender against Novak Djokovic earlier this month in the Astana semi-finals, from which he was forced to retire with a pulled adductor muscle in his leg. He returns as the top seed in Vienna and will seek to reproduce the form he showed in Kazakhstan when he takes on Nikoloz Basilashvili in the opening round. Medvedev is fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin and looks to seal his Turin spot and pursue a second Nitto ATP Finals title (2020).

2) Tsitsipas Seeks Third Straight Final: The Greek has enjoyed a strong start to the indoor season, reaching finals in Astana and Stockholm. Already confirmed for Turin, Tsitsipas meets Austrian wild card Dennis Novak in the opening round, with Borna Coric a potential second-round opponent in what would be a rematch of the Cincinnati final, which was won by the Croatian.

3) Hometown Thiem: After reaching consecutive semi-finals in Gijon and Antwerp, Dominic Thiem will look continue his resurgence in his native Austria. The 29-year-old will open against American Tommy Paul and could meet Medvedev in a marquee second-round matchup. The 2019 Vienna champion will seek his first tour-level title since winning the 2020 US Open.

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4) Rublev, Fritz Battle For Turin: Andrey Rublev sits in sixth place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, while Taylor Fritz is on the outside looking in as the eighth-placed player. Rublev, who won his fourth title of the year in Gijon, must navigate a difficult opening assignment against Diego Schwartzman while Fritz will start against a qualifier as he seeks his Nitto ATP Finals debut.

5) The Chasing Pack: Behind Rublev and Fritz is another quartet of Turin hopefuls in Vienna. Hubert Hurkacz, Cameron Norrie, Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner are all in position to make a late charge, but need deep runs in both Vienna and Paris to enter the Top 7 in the Race. All four men are seeded at the ATP 500, with Hurkacz drawing the highest-ranked opponent in World No. 17 Frances Tiafoe in the first round.

#NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune wrote another chapter into his standout season on Sunday at the Stockholm Open, where he upset top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 to win his second tour-level title.

The 19-year-old opened his shoulders and hit through the World No. 5 throughout the one-hour, 35-minute clash, firing 20 winners and saving the one break point he faced to earn his third Top 5 win.

The Dane now leads Tsitsipas 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series after defeating the 24-year-old at Roland Garros in June. Rune is up to No. 24 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings following his title run at the ATP 250 event.

“It was an unbelievable match from my side,” Rune said in his on-court interview. “I knew it was going to be difficult, but I just tried to stick to the game plan. I had to play my best tennis today and it was good that I could find the level. I am super happy.

“It was very close to perfection. I was making a lot of returns and playing pretty well behind my serve. Stefanos is an amazing player, who always makes it difficult. It was a super fun match to play.”

In an aggressive display, Rune took the ball early and successfully targeted Tsitsipas’ backhand, outlasting the Greek on the crosscourt exchanges. The 19-year-old also demonstrated great touch around the net, closing points efficiently when moving forward to help him seal his memorable win.

Earlier this season, Rune clinched his maiden tour-level trophy in Munich, where he defeated then-World No. 3 Alexander Zverev en route to the crown. With his victory over Tsitsipas, the 19-year-old has become just the second teenager to win multiple tour-level titles this year, joining Carlos Alcaraz.

Rune will look to finish his season strongly. He will compete in Basel next week before he takes to court at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals – to be held from 8-12 November – for the second consecutive season.

Tsitsipas was aiming to win his 10th tour-level title and third this season, having tasted success in Monte Carlo and Mallorca. The Greek lifted the trophy in Stockholm on debut in 2018, but was unable to overcome Rune in a heavy-hitting clash.

Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek held their nerve in a Match Tie-break for the second time in as many days on Sunday to clinch the Tennis Napoli Cup in dramatic fashion.

The top seeds prevailed 6-3, 1-6, 10-8 against Matthew Ebden and John Peers in Naples by reeling off four points in a row to recover a 6/8 deficit in the decider. Despite their Australian opponents having the momentum for much of the second half of the championship match, Dodig and Krajicek found a late surge to wrap an 84-minute win and lift their second tour-level crown of the year.

“It was very difficult,” said Dodig after the match. “In doubles a lot of matches are decided by a few points. Today, like yesterday, I think we connected good shots in big moments, and it was the key. Sometimes it doesn’t happen, but we have felt great these last two weeks, we’ve played really good tennis and have a lot of confidence, and I think that was the main reason for the win.”

Having reached the final in Florence a week ago, Dodig and Krajicek dropped just seven games across their opening two rounds at the ATP 250 event in Naples. They then edged Lorenzo Sonego and Andrea Vavassori 11/9 in a Match Tie-break in Saturday’s semi-finals before downing Ebden and Peers in the championship match.

“I think Ivan and I played well throughout the two weeks,” said Krajicek. “Different conditions obviously, indoors [in Florence] and outdoors here, so we did a good job adjusting. Tough one in the final last week, Eddie (Edouard Roger-Vasselin) and Nico (Nicolas Mahut) played really well, but we were excited to give ourselves another chance here, and in the big moments there at the end I think we played well and fortunately we came through there.”

Sunday’s win bolstered Dodig and Krajicek’s outside chance of qualifying for November’s Nitto ATP Finals in their first season as a full-time partnership. It lifted the Croatian-American pairing two spots to 10th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

Tallon Griekspoor and Botic van de Zandschulp completed their dream week at the European Open in style Sunday when they defeated second seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop 3-6, 6-3, 10-5.

In a hard-fought clash, the Dutchmen fired eight aces and held their nerve in the crucial moments, pulling away from 3/3 in the Match Tie-break to triumph after 68 minutes in Antwerp.

Before arriving in Belgium, Griekspoor and van de Zandschulp had not won a tour-level match as a team this season, holding a 0-4 record. However, they dropped just one set en route to the title as they turned the tables in dramatic fashion in Antwerp.

The 26-year-old Griekspoor and the 27-year-old van de Zandschulp were both competing in their first tour-level doubles final. Griekspoor’s best result prior to this week was a run to the quarter-finals in Gstaad in 2021 and Kitzbühel in 2022. Van de Zandschulp advanced to the semi-finals in Doha earlier this season with Mackenzie McDonald.

Bopanna and Middelkoop were aiming to win their second tour-level title as a team, after lifting the trophy in Tel Aviv earlier this month.

Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer captured their fourth tour-level title of the season Sunday at the Stockholm Open, where they overcame third seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara 6-3, 6-3.

In a strong display, the top seeds broke three times and won 79 per cent (15/19) of points on their opponents second serve to triumph after 67 minutes at the ATP 250 event.

Arevalo and Rojer were competing for the first time since they reached the semi-finals at the US Open in September. However, they showed little sign of rustiness in Stockholm, dropping just one set en route to the title.

Earlier this season, the pair won tour-level crowns in Dallas and Delray Beach before they clinched their maiden Grand Slam at Roland Garros. The Salvadoran-Dutch team will compete at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin in November after they secured qualification for the prestigious end-of-year event last month.

Glasspool and Heliovaara are currently sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings on 3,240 points. They are 570 points ahead of ninth-placed team Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini.

Felix Auger-Aliassime did not create a break point on Saturday against Richard Gasquet, but still progressed to his second ATP Tour final in as many weeks by dominating two tie-breaks in a 7-6(2), 7-6(3) win at the European Open.

After claiming his second tour-level title last week in Florence, Auger-Aliassime will face Sebastian Korda on Sunday in Antwerp as he contests his 12th tour-level final. He will seek to extend his winning streak to eight matches and further solidify his seventh-place position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin as he chases his Nitto ATP Finals debut.

“It was the most difficult match this week so far,” said the second seed, who came from set down to defeat Daniel Evans in the quarter-finals. “If I didn’t serve the way I did it would have been really tough to win. My serve helped me tremendously to get through my service games easily and then, after, giving myself chances.

“But he was playing really good. He’s still playing so well after so many years on the Tour. All credits to him for pushing… He’s been a great leader in our sport and a great example.”

In a high-level and fast-paced semi-final, neither man saw a break point until Gasquet earned a look at 5-5 in the second set. But Auger-Aliassime was up to the task as he powered through to hold and then commanded the second tie-break to seal victory.

Firing 22 aces and winning 85 per cent (44/52) of his first-serve points, the Canadian built early leads in both tie-breaks, buoyed by confidence from his serving success. He raced to a 5/0 lead in the first-set tie-break and led 3/1 in the second tie-break, staying perfect on serve in both against the veteran Frenchman.

Auger-Aliassime will seek to win his third tour-level trophy of both this season and his career on Sunday following triumphs in Rotterdam and Florence.

Stefanos Tsitsipas delivered a clinical semi-final showing on Saturday at the Stockholm Open, where he eased past Emil Ruusuvuori 6-2, 6-2 to maintain his unbeaten record at the ATP 250 event.

The top seed broke Ruusuvuori’s serve five times in the pair’s maiden tour-level meeting, finding consistency behind his groundstrokes to overpower the Finn in 74 minutes. The win improved Tsitsipas’ record in Stockholm to 7-0, and the Greek will hope to seal a second title at the hard-court event when he returns on Sunday for the championship match against Holger Rune.

“[It was] a great match from my side, I think I played very well,” said Tsitsipas after his victory. “I was really focused, [it was] one of the matches where I was really into the game and I was able to produce some really good tennis throughout the entire match, pretty much. I was there, I was very daring, I was really going for it, and it worked in my favour.”

Tsitsipas has shown no nerves upon returning to compete in Stockholm for the first time since 2018, when he lifted his maiden ATP Tour title in the Swedish capital. He has not dropped a set in moving past Maxime Cressy, home favourite Mikael Ymer and Ruusuvuori, and he believes that his past success at the event has helped him find his best level this week.

“I’ve created some good memories here,” said Tsitsipas. “2018 was the year that I got my first title here. Of course, I love good things in the back of my head. I’ve had some good interactions with the crowd, the people here are lovely, and I’m enjoying the Swedish hospitality.”

Saturday’s victory was a Tour-leading 56th of the 2022 season for Tsitsipas, who has already booked his place at November’s Nitto ATP Finals. He has now reached seven tour-level finals this year, the joint-most alongside World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.

Sunday’s clash against Rune will be an opportunity for Tsitsipas to avenge his four-set fourth-round defeat to the #NextGenATP Dane in May at Roland Garros. The World No. 5 admitted he sees some similarities between himself and Rune, who will be competing in his third tour-level final of the year.

“We are both big fighters,” said Tsitsipas. “I’m going to try to give my best out there on the court. Holger is someone that has been developing and doing well recently. We have played plenty of times against each other, more on the practice court, and I’m looking forward to that battle.”

Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek advanced to their second straight ATP Tour final with a Saturday victory in Naples. After a deep run last week in Florence, the Croatian-American pair will now play for its second title of the season at the Tennis Napoli Cup.

The top seeds edged Italians Lorenzo Sonego and Andrea Vavassori 6-7(8), 6-3, 11-9 to reach their fifth tour-level final of 2022. The Lyon champions sit 12th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings as they chase a Top 7 place which would guarantee qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals.

Now on 2,500 points, Dodig/Krajicek will need to continue their strong form in Basel and Paris in order to close what is currently a 650-point gap to seventh place. They can add 100 points to their tally in Sunday’s final, where they will met third-seeded Aussies Matthew Ebden and John Peers.

Ebden/Peers advanced to the final with a 6-3, 7-5 win against Nikola Cacic and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi.

Dutch Delight In Antwerp
Botic van de Zandschulp and Tallon Griekspoor continued their unseeded run at the European Open with a 6-3, 6-4 against Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. Prior to downing the fourth seeds in Saturday’s semi-finals, the pair opened its Antwerp campaign with an upset of top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah.

They will look to continue their perfect run on the week by winning a fourth straight-sets match in the final against second seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop, who advanced on Friday with a 7-6(6), 2-6, 10-7 win against Dutchmen Sander Arends and David Pel.

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Top Seeds Strong In Stockholm
Jean-Julien Rojer and Marcelo Arevalo excelled in the clutch moments to defeat fourth seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 7-5, 7-5 on Saturday at the Stockholm Open.

The top seeds, who opened their campaign with a Match Tie-break win, await the winner of the second semi-final which pits third seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara against Maxime Cressy and Albano Olivetti.