Aliassime Clings to Turin Dream with a Gritty Paris Masters Win

Paris Masters: A Tough Path to Turin

If Canadian Felix Auger‑Aliassime wants a spot in the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin this year, he will have earned it the hard way. The ninth seed needed a win in the Paris Masters third round on Thursday to keep his chances alive, and he delivered a come-from-behind 3‑6, 6‑3, 6‑2 victory over Germany’s Daniel Altmaier. It marked the third time in three matches this week in Paris that he has recovered from a set down to prevail, a pattern that has become his calling card this week.

After the match, Auger‑Aliassime explained that the week’s slate of three‑setter battles has made him feel like he’s fighting for every possible point, every day. He said remaining calm and patient, while finding the right solutions, was the key to turning the tides when needed. The grit was on full display as the Canadian leaned on steadier play and stubbornness to flip the match in his favor.

With this win, he closed the gap in the live race to Turin, sitting just 290 points behind Lorenzo Musetti, who sits eighth. If Auger‑Aliassime can reach the Paris final, he could overtake Musetti and keep his dream on life support heading into the later stages of the event.

Statistically, the performance was notable. Auger‑Aliassime was aggressive on serve, winning a remarkable 87% of points behind his first serve (39 of 45). He also found success at the net, winning 20 of 25 points when approaching the net on Paris’ slow court, a tactic that paid dividends as Altmaier’s rhythm began to slip late in the match.

The victory sent Auger‑Aliassime into the quarterfinals for what is his sixth consecutive ATP Tour–level appearance. He was set to face Valentin Fashiro—Shanghai champion—who defeated Cameron Norrie 7‑6, 6‑4 to reach the last eight. The pairing adds another intriguing layer to a Paris event that continues to churn up the standings and the narrative around who might finish the season No. 1.

In a different corner of the draw, Ben Shelton, the tournament’s fifth seed, outplayed Andrey Rublev in straight sets (7‑6, 6‑3) and awaited the winner of the Jannik Sinner vs. Francesco Serundolo match in the next round. The results in Paris were setting up a storyline where several heavyweights could alter the year‑end rankings in short order.

On the subject of Sinner, the Italian’s week’s work has underscored a broader pattern: he is leading the Tour in both serve‑hold and return‑games won, a rare two‑category dominance that has not been achieved by anyone else since official tracking began in 1991. Sinner currently sits atop the serve‑hold metric at about 91.5% this season, ahead of rivals with a margin of just a few tenths of a percentage point in places like Geovanni Mpetchi Pericard and Taylor Fritz, while the return game is even tighter at the top, where Sinner leads at roughly 32.7%.

Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz, the world No. 1, sits just behind Sinner in the return standings, separated by a razor‑thin margin (about 0.02 percentage points), with Alex de Minaur in third at around 30.1%. The dynamic has meant that the Paris Masters is not just about one man but about a tight race at the top of the rankings, where a few wins can shift the balance in a hurry.

Looking at 2025 more broadly, Sinner has made meaningful strides in both serving and returning. His serving has climbed to 91.5% in 2025 compared with 91.4% in 2024, while his return success has improved from 28.3% in 2024 to 32.7% in 2025. Before this season, he had never surpassed a return‑game success rate of 29.2%, a line he is now threatening to rewrite. This all‑around improvement helps keep Sinner in the hunt for the year‑end No. 1 title, especially as Alcaraz’s Paris form and other results shift the balance in the race.

For Alcaraz, Paris presents a different angle in the race: entering Paris, he sat sixth in service holds at 87.5% and second in return holds at 32.7%. The French event has become a crucible where the gains or losses of the top players are magnified, and another strong week could propel him back toward the summit as the season closes.

In sum, Paris is shaping up as a turning point for the Turin bid and the year‑end race. Aliassime’s grit has kept him in the chase, while Sinner’s all‑around excellence and Alcaraz’s momentum provide an electric backdrop for the coming rounds. If the trend lines hold, Turin might just have to prepare for a surge that looks less like a storm and more like a calculated, well‑aimed artillery sequence. And yes, the court might need a bigger trophy case to fit all these snappy comebacks.

Punchline time: If grit were a serve clock, Felix would be serving on fast forward. And if comebacks were a weapon, he’d be carrying a trench full of winners—sniper level, and yes, the ball would still land inside the lines, because even the scoreboard respects a good comeback. Second line: Turin, beware—the point is not over until Felix yells, “Game, set, Turin!”