It took Felix Auger-Aliassime nine finals to lift his first ATP Tour trophy. In just his second championship match since, the Canadian added another trophy to his collection.

Auger-Aliassime defeated American J.J. Wolf 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday to win the UniCredit Firenze Open. The top seed lost just one set en route to the trophy, defeating World No. 75 Wolf in one hour and 41 minutes to claim the crown.

“It never gets old. Winning, it always feels like the first time,” Auger-Aliassime said in his on-court interview. “It’s so special to win, especially here. I had a fantastic week and it’s been amazing.”

It was a critical week for Auger-Aliassime’s hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be played in Turin from 13-20 November. One week after Taylor Fritz moved into the final qualifying position by triumphing in Tokyo, Auger-Aliassime surged past the American into seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. He now has a 180-point lead over the American. Tenth-placed Novak Djokovic has claimed his spot in Turin 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.

Auger-Aliassime arrived in Florence following a straight-sets loss to Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round of the Astana Open, but quickly regained his confidence. The Canadian lost his serve just four times at the ATP 250, powering past opponents with a wide variety of game styles — the aggressive Oscar Otte, big-hitting Brandon Nakashima, all-around Lorenzo Musetti and baseliner Wolf — to earn his second trophy (also Rotterdam).

“Every final is tough, it’s the two best players of the week,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Of course you try to win more than you lose the finals and that’s why I came out here today ready to give everything. We had some very tough rallies in the second set, feeling tough physically. But you keep pushing, try to keep the level high.

“But there’s no magic. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but of course I’m really happy because I came here [as] the first seed. I was the favourite in all of my matches on paper. It’s never an easy position, so to come out and win my four matches with confidence and conviction, it’s really good for my confidence.”

Sunday’s final began with three consecutive service breaks as both players searched for rhythm on the indoor hard court. But it was Auger-Aliassime who consistently earned more opportunities on his opponent’s serve. After losing his first service game of the match, Felix did not face another break point.

“I had a good start first game and then a bit of a tight first service game,” Auger-Aliassime. “But then after I felt like I was playing really good tennis, serving unbelievable. Probably the best [I served] all week, so just really happy right now.”

Wolf saved nine of the 12 break points he faced, but it was not enough. The American tried to trade powerful blows with Auger-Aliassime, showing no fear of striking from right on the baseline, or stepping into returns against the big-serving Canadian.

But Auger-Aliassime maintained too high of a level throughout the match and was more comfortable in those power-filled rallies. The 22-year-old sealed his victory with his 11th ace, after which he quickly turned to his team to show his joy.

Wolf was trying to win his first ATP Tour title. The American will climb to a career-high No. 56 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday.

Did You Know?
Auger-Aliassime will return to the Top 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings when he climbs to World No. 10 on Monday. The Canadian ascended to a career-high World No. 8 in August.

Gael Monfils and WTA star Elina Svitolina have become parents after they welcomed their first child into the world, they announced on Saturday morning.

Monfils and Svitolina, who married in July 2021, announced the birth of their daughter Skaï Monfils on social media on Saturday.

“What a night,” Svitolina posted on Twitter and Instagram. “Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Skaï Monfils … Can’t thanks enough my husband to live [through] this unforgettable moment with me.”

What a night !!!
Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Skaï Monfils 🥹🥰❤️

Can’t thanks enough my husband to live thru this unforgettable moment with me ❤️ pic.twitter.com/m6CQVDdBV6

— Elina Monfils (@ElinaSvitolina) October 15, 2022

Former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev also joined the fatherhood club when his wife Daria gave birth to their first child on Friday. Medvedev, who married Daria in 2018, wrote on Twitter: “14.10.2022 Welcome to the world baby girl.”

14.10.2022
Welcome to the world baby girl ❤️ pic.twitter.com/dXFBq7t1FW

— Daniil Medvedev (@DaniilMedwed) October 15, 2022

Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin clinched their first tour-level title of the season as a team on Sunday at the UniCredit Firenze Open, where they defeated third seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 7-6(4), 6-3.

The Frenchmen saved both break points they faced in the first set before they rallied from a break down in the second set to triumph at the ATP 250 event in Florence after one hour and 31 minutes.

“We had a great week on the court and off the court,” Mahut said. “It was the first time for me in this city and I enjoyed every moment. I think it was a great event for the first year. Everything was perfect. It is a great achievement to have an eighth title together.”

Mahut and Roger-Vasselin have now won their past eight matches as a team, having lifted the trophy at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Orleans last week.

In a dominant week in Florence, Mahut and Roger-Vasselin did not drop a set en route to their eighth tour-level title as a team. Before this week, the tandem last tasted success together on Tour in 2019 in Tokyo.

Earlier this season, Mahut clinched the title in Montpellier with Pierre-Hugues Herbert, while Roger-Vasselin reached the final in Indian Wells with Santiago Gonzalez.

Dodig and Krajicek were aiming to win their second tour-level title of the season as a team after winning the crown in Lyon. The Croatian-American pair is currently 12th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings. They are trying to make a late push to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 13-20 November.

Andrey Rublev captured his fourth tour-level title of the season on Sunday when he overcame Sebastian Korda 6-2, 6-3 in the Gijon Open final.

In an entertaining clash, the top seed played aggressively to pull Korda from corner to corner. Rublev struck 29 winners, broke his opponent’s serve three times and committed just four unforced errors to triumph after 77 minutes.

The 24-year-old has boosted his Nitto ATP Finals qualifications chances by lifting the trophy in Gijon. Rublev is currently sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin as he aims to compete at the prestigious end-of-year event – to be held from 13-20 November – for the third consecutive season.

Rublev enjoyed a strong week at the hard-court event in Spain, defeating Ilya Ivashka, Tommy Paul and Dominic Thiem en route to the final. He then played with confidence against Korda, outlasting the 22-year-old in heavy-hitting exchanges to secure his 47th tour-level win of the year. He now leads the American 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series.

Earlier this season, Rublev lifted titles in Marseille, Dubai and Belgrade. He has now captured 12 tour-level crowns in his career.

Korda was aiming to win his second tour-level trophy and first of the season, having triumphed in Parma in 2021. He is up to No. 36 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings following his run to the final.

Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni captured their first tour-level title as a team on Sunday at the Gijon Open, where they edged Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 6-7(8), 7-6(4), 10-5.

The Argentines, who did not drop a set en route to the final, held their nerves in the key moments, striking returns with great depth and closing the net effectively to triumph after two hours and 21 minutes at the ATP 250 event in Spain.

“We played amazing,” Gonzalez said. “We were about to lose the match but managed to turn things around. This result gives us some confidence, even if we don’t play together on Tour.

“This is the first tournament we played as a team this season, but we were teammates during the ATP Cup. We know each other really well, have played together in the past and share practice sessions from time to time. All those things help to feel good on court.”

In a tight second set, Gonzalez and Molteni recovered from squandering a break advantage, before they pulled away from 4/4 in the Match Tie-break to clinch the crown. The pair has now won three titles together across all levels, having won trophies on the ATP Challenger Tour as a team in 2014 and 2017.

“I had never visited the north of Spain,” Molteni said. “We had this opportunity here in Gijon. I arrived last Friday so I spent more than a week here. We enjoyed the food, the beach,… We made the most of it.”

The 39-year-old Gonzalez improved his tour-level doubles finals record to 12-6 with the victory, while the 34-year-old Molteni is now 11-6 in championship matches. Earlier this season, Molteni captured titles with Santiago Gonzalez in Cordoba and Buenos Aires.

Americans Lammons and Withrow were aiming to win their second tour-level title as a team, having tasted success in San Diego last month.

Losing sleep over an urgent report you have to submit on Monday? Stuck in one of those endless work meetings and running out of patience? Have you ever thought seriously about changing companies because of your boss?

None of these questions would have to be asked if Rafael Nadal was at the helm of the company. According to a survey by a Spanish employment portal, the 22-time Grand Slam champion, who is one of the best sportsmen of all time, is also the ideal boss for most of his countrymen.

In a study that surveyed almost 5,000 people, the 22-time Grand Slam champion was the favourite choice of his compatriots to take the reins in the office. The Mallorcan’s virtues extend beyond the tennis courts and the people of Spain consider him ideal for successfully running a working environment.

Fifty-eight per cent of those surveyed pointed to his humility, while 50% trust the honesty he projects and 48% of respondents value the passion he transmits at work. In total, 45% of participants chose Nadal as their first choice to lead any project.

The former No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings topped a list of names that are hugely influential in Spanish society. Nadal beat virologist Margarita del Val (33%) and epidemiologist Fernando Simón (23%), both figures who had a significant public presence during the COVID-19 pandemic, businessman Jeff Bezos (24%), the founder of Amazon, and Ibai Llanos (19%) a Spanish internet celebrity.

The winner of 90 ATP titles is clearly still highly regarded in his home country and frequently comes out on top of these types of surveys. In the 2017 season, he received similar recognition from a poll run by an employment agency, which in 2019 also put him among the favourites for Spanish children aged between four and 16.

Felix Auger-Aliassime will have a shot at his second ATP Tour title – and a return to the World’s Top 10 – after dismissing #NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-2, 6-3 in the UniCredit Firenze Open semi-finals Saturday.

The Canadian, who has already climbed two places this week to No. 11 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, will reclaim a coveted spot in the Top 10 if he beats first-time finalist J.J. Wolf Sunday (5pm CEST, See Broadcasters).

Significantly, Auger-Aliassime has the opportunity to extend his lead over Taylor Fritz in seventh place in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin to 180 points, as both players fight to make their debut at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be played 13-20 November.

In the early stages of the semi-final, Auger-Aliassime displayed strong firepower to hit through Musetti, racing off to an early lead. The Canadian remained flawless from the baseline, firing 21 winners to only six unforced errors, dispatching the Italian in one hour, 27 minutes.

“We started the match really good, at a very high level,” Felix said. “He was playing amazing tennis and I thought, ‘I’m going to need to play my best tennis in order to win’. I think that’s what I did tonight, I played very complete tennis, a very solid performance. I’m really happy and looking forward to tomorrow.”

When Musetti was trailing 2-5 in the opening set, the #NextGenATP youngster called for the physio to address discomfort in his abdominal region. But Felix never let the Italian back into the match as he advanced to his third final of the season, all of which have come on indoor hard courts (Rotterdam and Marseille).

“A final is always difficult,” Felix said. “You have to play your best tennis because it’s the two best players of the week. J.J. [Wolf] has been playing very good, serving strong. I think if we both serve the way we’ve been serving this week, it’s going to be very tight, a very close match. I’m going to work on my returns and be ready for a good battle tomorrow.”

Musetti, who won an ATP 500 title in Hamburg during the clay season, has already qualified for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, to be played in Milan 8-12 November. The 20-year-old climbs to a career-high No. 24 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings following his run to the semi-final this week.

American duo Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow advanced to the Gijon Open final Saturday, when they ousted Sander Gille and Fabrice Martin 6-4, 6-4.

Lammons and Withrow, who claimed their first team title in San Diego last month, look to continue their hot streak Sunday, when they face Argentines Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in the championship match. The Americans are also two-time Challenger champions this season (Cary and Salzburg).

In Florence doubles action, third seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek fended off two match points to survive Lorenzo Sonego and Andrea Vavassori 6-2, 3-6, 12-10. The Croatian-American duo, who won the ATP 250 event in Lyon earlier this season and are 12th in the Pepperstone ATP Teams Rankings, will face Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in Sunday’s final.

Mahut and Roger-Vasselin took down countrymen Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul 6-4, 7-6(4) Saturday to advance to their first Tour-level final of this season.

The French duo, who reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon this summer, look for their first team title since 2019 Tokyo.

American J.J. Wolf has charged into his first ATP Tour final after a power-hitting 6-4 6-4 win over Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer at the UniCredit Firenze Open in Florence.

Rising to a career-best No. 56 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, the 23-year-old will play the winner of top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and third-seeded home favourite Lorenzo Musetti.

“I definitely had to keep my nerve and wait for my chance,” Wolf said. “He’s sneaky aggressive and can turn defense into offense in a second. I’m not sure what to expect tomorrow as I haven’t been in a final before. I’m just going to keep working on the things I’ve been working on and not worry about the result.”

Wolf, who upset fourth-seeded countryman Maxime Cressy in the second round and seventh seed Alexander Bublik in the quarter-finals, improved to 16-16 on the year.

Wolf began the year ranked outside the Top 150.

Andrey Rublev extended his winning streak against Dominic Thiem to four matches Saturday after defeating the Austrian 6-4, 6-4 to charge into the Gijon Open final in Spain.

Playing an ultra-aggressive brand of tennis, Rublev firmed up his hold on sixth position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race to Turin, as he looks to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the third consecutive year.

Rublev, who has now won eight straight sets against the 2020 US Open champion, battled his inner demons after being broken when attempting to serve out the first set. The 24-year-old, who has spoken candidly about difficulties in controlling his on-court frustrations, exploded in rage after dropping serve but regained composure to break in the next game to close out the set.

“When I was winning 4-1 with a break point for 5-1 it looks like the match is going my way and then I am at 5-4 with him serving,” Rublev said. “That’s not easy to accept, but I was lucky I played a really good game and Dominic helped me out a little bit.

“Then I felt more confident and I was able to win in two sets, which was the most important thing. This week I have been playing really well and I’ll try to show my best tennis of the week tomorrow.”

The former junior World No. 1 attacked Thiem’s first and second serves to seize momentum early in points and also broke Theim in the final game of the match to seal victory. He won 33 per cent of first-serve return points and 53 per cent of second-serve return points. He also looked comfortable when moving forward to net to pressure his opponent.

Rublev is chasing his fourth title of the year, having already triumphed in Belgrade, Dubai and Marseille. In Sunday’s final he will play the winner of American Sebastian Korda and Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, who saved nine match points to deny Pablo Carreno Busta 18-16 in a third-set tie-break on Friday.

Thiem who would have returned to the Top 100 had he beaten Rublev, continues to lay the foundation for a successful 2023 season after a spotty start to 2022, when he lost his first six tour-level matches.

This week in Gijon the former World No. 3 has hit his signature one-handed backhand with authority, showing no signs of lingering problems with his right wrist following a tear in June 2021 that forced him to miss the second half of the 2021 season. He has played 28 tour-level matches this season for a 14-14 record and is No. 132 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.