–

Félix Auger-Aliassime began his campaign to qualify for next month’s ATP Tour Finals in earnest on Sunday at the European Open in Brussels, beating Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic 7-6 (2), 6-7 (6), 6-2 in the final to win the eighth ATP Tour title of his career.

That ties him with Milos Raonic for the most titles for a Canadian player in the Open era.

It’s his second title at this event although the first came in Antwerp, before the tournament moved to Brussels this year.

Auger-Aliassime served like a dream all week, capping it off with 17 aces and just one double fault in the two hour, 34-minute marathon that was as tight as could be, until the 25-year-old Canadian ran away with it at the end.

Second title of 2025 for Fernandez

Auger-Aliassime had 17 aces and just one double fault in the match, serving at an 83 percent clip on his first serve, and winning 79 per cent of those points – and 71 per cent of his second-serve points.

It was virtually untouchable – except that he lost the second set in a tiebreak, despite starting the decider 3-0 and having two match points.

Auger-Aliassime said it was possible this was the first time he’d ever lost a set, without losing a single point on his second serve.

“I’d seen the statistics on the board during the match – but not that one. I think I did some good work on my serve and sometimes you deserve a set based on the level you produce. But that’s the way it goes; sometimes you just have to win the important points,” said Auger-Aliassime, on the phone with Open Court from Brussels.

In all, Auger-Aliassime hit 58 aces in four matches in Belgium, and just five double faults.

Back to vintage serving for FAA

For the season, he now has 644 aces and 203 double faults, a rate of about three serves for every double fault.

That ratio is nearly identical to his best season in 2022, when he tore through the fall indoor swing and qualified for the ATP Finals for the first (and only) time.

***Auger-Aliassime had a lot of sympathy for Lehecka, whom he has considered a top man ever since he came on the ATP Tour. Lehecka, as you can see, was bitterly disappointed (TennisTV.com).***

That part of his game, the cornerstone of his success, had let him down the previous two seasons. The Canadian has nearly the same number of double faults so far in 2025 as he had in each of 2023 and 2024. But with two big tournaments still to come, he already has 200+ more aces than he had in either of those years.

Auger-Aliassime was just as happy with his movement and with his return game – always his Achilles’ heel.

“Even if I can always improve it – there are some periods where it’s fairly good, others where I don’t do enough – there were some moments this week where I really put pressure on my opponents’ serve,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Notably, today in the third set. So it’s a part of my game that is improving, and that I want to improve.”

After his great run to the US Open semifinals and his wedding two weeks later, Auger-Aliassime only played the Masters 1000 in Shanghai on the now-completed Asian swing.

And he was almost out of Brussels in his opening match.

Auger-Aliassime survived a nearly three-hour marathon against the pesky Bosnian, Damir Dzumhur, that went to a third-set tiebreak.

Auger-Aliassime converted just one of his 14 break chances in that match; he had fewer opportunities in the next three wins, but a much better success rate.

***Lehecka’s reaction after going down 0-3 in t*****he second-set tiebreak. (TennisTV.com)**

And his dominance in tiebreaks continues.

Auger-Aliassime won both tiebreaks he played in Cincinnati in August, all six at the US Open, and the first five in Brussels before dropping that second set against Lehecka.

He’s also 15-3 since that disheartening opening loss to Fabian Maroszan at the National Bank Open in Toronto in early August.

FAA ties the knot – with his oldest buds on hand

First-ever meeting with Diallo

Looking ahead, he’s off to Basel, Switzerland, where he won the title in both 2022 and 2023.

But Auger-Aliassime faces a tough task in his opening round against longtime friend and Davis Cup teammate Gabriel Diallo.

Diallo, then 16, at Indian Wells with Sam Auger-Aliassime, watching on as Félix (just a year older but more precocious) took on Milos Raonic. More than seven years later, they finally meet on the match court for the very first time.

Diallo was developed by Auger-Aliassime’s father Sam, and the two have practiced often together. “We know each other’s games perfectly,” Auger-Aliassime said.

It will be a first-ever meeting between the two, at any level.

Auger-Aliassime heard about it Saturday when the draw came out, before his semifinal. But he said he’s not typically superstitious.

“I don’t worry about that stuff too much. When you’re in the middle of a match like today’s there’s no chance you’re even thinking about what you’ll have for breakfast,” he said, laughing. “One thing at a time. But it’s a first round. It’s great to play Gabriel for the first time; it was going to happen eventually. But it’s also the start of a tournament. My year, my journey won’t stop after the match against Gabriel – at least I hope not.”

A shot at Turin?

With two more events remaining – Basel and then a Masters 1000 in Paris the next week – he sits ninth in the race to the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy, to be held Nov. 9 – 16.

And there certainly are question marks around the participation of Novak Djokovic, who has officially qualified but who is trying to resolve some injury issues and hasn’t yet confirmed he will participate.

Casper Ruud and Daniil Medvedev, who also won titles on Sunday (Ruud in Stockholm, Medvedev in Almaty, Kazakhstan), are chasing the Canadian.

“Of course, it’s the main motivation at this stage of the season; each win is important. Winning a title is great. But even more that I can get close to a spot in Turin,” Auger-Aliassime said.

“There’s still a lot of tennis to play to get there. I hope to still give myself a chance. But it also depends on the other players; it’s not just up to me.”