Felix Faces High-Stakes Week As Turin Race Heats Up

The ball is in Felix Auger-Aliassime’s court in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.

With back to back titles, the 22-year-old has positioned himself well to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. The job is far from done, however, and a pivotal week featuring ATP 500 events in Basel and Vienna could see the Canadian surge into a comfortable place or fall outside the cut.

Auger-Aliassime, who is seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, currently holds the final qualifying spot for the season finale, to be played from 13-20 November. Tenth-placed Novak Djokovic, this year’s Wimbledon winner, has already qualified under the Grand Slam champion provision.

Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin (as of 23 October)

^{*Djokovic has qualified under the Grand Slam champion provision}
The winner of back-to-back titles in Florence and Antwerp, Auger-Aliassime now has a 340-point advantage over eighth-placed Taylor Fritz (2,885). He is just 215 points behind sixth-placed Andrey Rublev (3,440) and 330 points behind fifth-placed Daniil Medvedev (3,555).

Auger-Aliassime could climb as high as fifth this week when he competes at the Swiss Indoors Basel, depending on Medvedev and Rublev’s results in Vienna. If the Canadian triumphs in Switzerland, he will finish the week with 3,635 points in the Live Race.

However, a hiccup in Basel could put Auger-Aliassime on the back foot. Fritz and Hurkacz are the fourth and fifth seeds, respectively, in Vienna. Deep runs at the Austrian ATP 500 could propel them past Auger-Aliassime.

Fritz arrives at the Erste Bank Open fresh after two weeks away from competition and full of confidence following his victory in Tokyo. The American, who like Auger-Aliassime is pursuing his first Nitto ATP Finals qualification, could leave Austria with 3,365 points in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.

Hurkacz, who competed at the year-end championships last season, is within reach of a second consecutive appearance at the Pala Alpitour. The Polish star will have 3,270 points if he lifts the Vienna trophy. He will be fully focussed on the match in front of him, as he plays in-form American Frances Tiafoe in the first round.

Only two weeks remain in the Live Race, so time is running out for other players to make a move. Twelfth-placed Cameron Norrie, who played two matches in Turin last year as an alternate, has 2,400 points. Home hope Matteo Berrettini, a 2021 qualifier, has 2,375 points.

Norrie, Berrettini and players placed below them in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin will try to earn as many points as possible this week ahead of the final tournament of the regular season, the Rolex Paris Masters, an ATP Masters 1000 event.

Did You Know?
Sixteen of the Top 20 players in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin are in action this week.