Felix Auger-Aliassime is currently preparing to contest a third Rotterdam Open final following appearances in 2020 and 2022.
After an early exit in Australia, Auger-Aliassime has been in blistering form, winning eight consecutive matches on the ATP Tour.
During this winning streak, the 25-year-old captured his ninth ATP Tour title in Montpellier, setting a Canadian tennis record in the process.
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Auger-Aliassime has found himself in another final a week later after defeating Alexei Popyrin, Hamad Medjedovic, Tallon Griekspoor and Alexander Bublik.
Auger-Aliassime, who will face Alex de Minaur in Sunday’s final, won his first Rotterdam Open title in 2022.
Felix Auger-Aliassime had ‘sleepless nights’ before winning his first ATP Tour title in Rotterdam
Ahead of the 2022 Rotterdam Open, Felix Auger-Aliassime had a rather unfortunate record in ATP Tour finals.
The Canadian had lost the first eight ATP Tour finals of his career – all of which took place between June 2019 and February 2021.
| Tournament | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 2019 Rio Open | Laslo Djere | 3–6, 5–7 |
| 2019 Lyon Open | Benoit Paire | 4–6, 3–6 |
| 2019 Stuttgart Open | Matteo Berrettini | 4–6, 6–7 |
| 2020 Rotterdam Open | Gael Monfils | 2–6, 4–6 |
| 2020 Open 13, France | Stefanos Tsitsipas | 3–6, 4–6 |
| 2020 Cologne Open | Alexander Zverev | 3–6, 3–6 |
| 2021 Murray River Open, Australia | Dan Evans | 2–6, 3–6 |
| 2021 Stuttgart Open | Marin Cilic | 6–7, 3–6 |
Auger-Aliassime ended this unwanted streak at the 2021 Rotterdam Open, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-2 in the final.
“I played my first ATP main draw here a couple of years ago, so it is right I won my first title here,” Auger-Aliassime said after the 2022 final.
“I have a lot of good memories playing here in front of you, so thank you for making it a special week for me that I will remember for the rest of my life. It is the happiest day of my career and hopefully it is the first of many to come.
“I can’t explain the weight off my shoulders right now. I got a little bit emotional with my family, you know, towards the end after the match.
“It’s crazy, I’ve had sleepless nights thinking about this title and why I can’t overcome this feat. I didn’t have a clear reason.
“I think this year I just wanted to overcome that. I wanted to be a better player overall, more consistent, more solid in my mind.
“And I think today I showed that and this week I showed it against the best players in the world. So incredibly happy just to get this first title under my belt, and now I can play more freely, almost.”
Auger-Aliassime’s 2020 Rotterdam Open
Auger-Aliassime, who was unseeded at the event, defeated Jan-Lennard Struff, Grigor Dimitrov and Aljaz Bedene to reach the semi-finals.
There, he defeated Pablo Carreno Busta 7-6, 6-4. Carreno Busta went on to reach the US Open semi-finals later that year.
In the final, Auger-Aliassime was defeated by Gael Monfils, 6-2, 6-4.
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After the contest, Monfils offered a word of encouragement to his Canadian opponent, saying: “You’re young, you’ll improve fast and you’ll win this tournament and other tournaments, so keep going.”
By winning the title, Monfils defended his 2019 title. The Frenchman defeated Stan Wawrinka in the 2019 final.
