Felix Auger-Aliassime has the opportunity to win his first Masters 1000 event when he faces Jannik Sinner in the Paris Masters final on Sunday.
Sinner has dominated their matchup in 2025, winning both of their previous contests. However, the Canadian will take great confidence heading into Sunday’s final due to his excellent form in recent months.
As for the pressure of competing in a Masters 1000 final, this is not Auger-Aliassime’s first rodeo.
The 25-year-old made his first Masters 1000 final at the 2024 Madrid Open after defeating Yoshito Nishioka, Adrian Mannarino, Jakub Mensik, Casper Ruud and Jiri Lehecka.
In the final, Auger-Aliassime was defeated by Russian star Andrey Rublev, who won the contest 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.
After their titanic battle, Auger-Aliassime reflected on his performance.
Auger-Aliassime reflected on his shortcomings during the 2024 Madrid Open final
Auger-Aliassime has a golden opportunity on Sunday – he could qualify for the ATP Finals for only the second time in his career.
Defeating Sinner will be no easy task. However, if the Canadian’s serve and forehand are firing, anything is possible.
Auger-Aliassime also has the opportunity to draw upon where he went wrong during the 2024 Madrid Open final loss to Rublev.
During that contest, Auger-Aliassime was in a commanding position, having won the first set. Unfortunately for fans of the Canadian, he was unable to close out the contest.
After losing to Rublev, one reporter asked the Canadian: “Felix, you played a good match, you served pretty well.
“Do you have some regrets about the match? Do you think that you could do something better?”
Auger-Aliassime responded: “Yeah, a few things, a few things obviously. It’s a long match, three sets, many games. Yeah, I think overall I served well, as good as I could.
“But from the baseline and the return, I felt like there are matches where I do a little bit better, which is not finding precision as much as other times on certain shots – the return, coming in early and trying to put some pressure, but then not being precise.
“So not having this tool of mine that I can have, putting pressure on the return second serve early, and then the backhand wasn’t finding as much precision as well on the crosscourts and down-the-lines.
“That part, the first set was great, but then the second set, yeah, wasn’t quite the best. But then at the end, just fighting with what I have, I think my serve was keeping me through the match, and I was really hoping to find a way to get a break or something. But yeah, wasn’t meant to be.”
Regarding Rublev, he reached the third round at this year’s Paris Masters before losing to fifth seed Ben Shelton in straight sets.
Auger-Aliassime’s crucial shot against Jannik Sinner
Auger-Aliassime’s success in the Paris Masters final will likely hinge on the quality of his backhand.
The shot has historically represented a weak area for the Canadian, who excels off the forehand wing and boasts a strong serve.
However, in recent months, the Canadian’s backhand has improved significantly.
If the 25-year-old’s backhand holds up against the inevitable Jannik Sinner onslaught in the Paris Masters final, he has every chance of causing an upset.
There is a source of extra motivation for Auger-Aliassime, who defeated Alexander Bublik in the Paris Masters semi-finals. He will qualify for the ATP Finals if he defeats Sinner on Sunday.
