Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to the Paris Masters quarter-finals after coming through a tough three-set contest on Thursday.
The Canadian, who recently won his third indoor hard court title of the year at the Brussels Open, fought from a set down to defeat Germany’s Daniel Altmaier 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
As a result, Auger-Aliassime will face Shanghai Masters champion Valentin Vacherot in the quarter-finals. Vacherot defeated British number two Cameron Norrie earlier on Thursday.
Auger-Aliassime has been in fine form since reaching the US Open semi-finals, and will want to ride that wave of momentum further as he chases an ATP Finals spot.
The Canadian’s chances of qualifying for the Finals have been given a huge boost after another contender lost at the Paris Masters on Wednesday.
Lorenzo Musetti loses in the Paris Masters second round
Lorenzo Musetti’s loss to Lorenzo Sonego on Wednesday has opened the door for Felix Auger-Aliassime to capitalise.
The Italian is currently sitting in the eighth – and final – ATP Finals spot, having earned 3,685 points throughout the course of 2025.
After Auger Aliassime’s victory against Altmaier, the Canadian is on 3,395 points – 290 points behind Musetti.
As stated by author Bastien Fachan, for Auger-Aliassime to qualify for the Finals this week, he must win the Paris Masters.
If he wins the tournament, the Canadian could overtake both Ben Shelton and Alex de Minaur in the ATP Finals rankings.
If he loses his quarter-final match in Paris, he will not qualify for the Finals. If the Canadian reaches the semi-final stage, he could still qualify with a deep run at the Metz Open.
As Fachan says, if this scenario plays out, Musetti could be forced to attain a wildcard spot at the Metz Open or Athens Open.
The Metz Open and Athens are scheduled to take place after the Paris Masters and before the ATP Finals.
| Player | ATP Finals Ranking | Points |
| Ben Shelton | 6 | 3,870 |
| Alex de Minaur | 7 | 3,835 |
| Lorenzo Musetti | 8 | 3,685 |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | 9 | 3,395 |
If Auger-Aliassime is the finalist in Paris, he would qualify for the Finals with a semi-final appearance in Metz.
If Musetti were to miss out on the ATP Finals, it would be a big blow. In July, he told the ATP Tour qualifying for the finals was his biggest goal for the season.
“Definitely [Turin] is my biggest goal,” Musetti said.
“But of course I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. We are halfway through the season, so definitely there’s many, many points to catch.
And of course, here in the North American swing there are many with the two Masters 1000s and the US Open. So definitely one of my goals is to be really consistent and try to get as many points as possible.”
Sonego feels ‘bad’ about beating Musetti
Lorenzo Sonego battled from a set down to defeat compatriot Lorenzo Musetti on Wednesday, winning the contest 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.
In his on-court interview after the match, Sonego said: “The attitude was the key today. It’s tough to play a friend.
“The first set I was not happy with the result… during the practice I played really well for a few days. I tried to do my best today. Happy for the win.
“I feel so bad because my friend is out of the tournament. He’s playing for the ATP Finals. I hope to see him in the ATP Finals in Turin.”
