Felix Auger-Aliassime Rises to Paris Masters Final with a Thorough Semi against Bublik
1 November 2025
Semi-final win seals Paris Masters final berth
The Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, one of the brightest stars on the ATP Tour right now on indoor courts, showed no signs of slowing down at the Paris Masters.
Auger-Aliassime continued his late-2025 surge with an impressive semifinal victory in Paris, defeating Kazakh Alexander Bublik 7-6, 6-4 in the French capital.
The ninth-seeded Canadian was decisive in converting his opportunities in a 96-minute win that earned him a spot in a second Masters final of his career, while also moving ahead of Italian Lorenzo Musetti into the last spot in the year-end Turin race.
Speaking after reaching his second final at this level following Madrid 2024, Auger-Aliassime said he is very happy and noted that Masters finals are tough and don’t come around every week. He expressed hope to keep progressing and to win the title.
He added that the draw is loaded and that every day brings new challenges: everyone is playing well, so you stay curious and focused to see how your game matches up. He emphasized deep confidence in himself and in his style, and the need to execute when facing the world’s best players.
Heading to the Torino race
In addition to setting up a final against either second seed Yannick Sinner or third seed Alexander Zverev in Paris, Auger-Aliassime also took a crucial step in the race toward Turin by winning the semifinal. The 25-year-old moved Musetti from eighth to within striking distance, meaning he could secure the last spot to Turin by winning the Paris title on Sunday.
If Auger-Aliassime does not win Paris, he will still head to next week’s Moselle Open in Metz with a 90-point gap behind Musetti in the live race, while Musetti himself is entered in a 250-point event next week in Athens.
Asked about how he would approach Sunday’s final against Sinner or Zverev, Auger-Aliassime stated that the matches in Masters events are the ones you train for and that it’s always great to test himself against these players. He highlighted years of practice and improvement as the key to performing well in big matches.
He also noted the need to stay sharp, tactical, and disciplined when facing such opponents, as they do not yield easy opportunities and require the best version of his game.
Details of the Bublik clash
Against Bublik, Auger-Aliassime claimed the first set in a tight tiebreak without facing a single break point, winning the last seven points of the breaker. The second set featured five breaks of serve. Bublik fought back from a 4-1 deficit, but Auger-Aliassime responded with a five-game run to seal the match.
The Canadian finished with 31 winners, 17 of them on his forehand, and converted three of the four break points earned against a serve-heavy Bublik, who was contesting his first Masters 1000 semifinal.
With the win at La Défense Arena, Auger-Aliassime improved his head-to-head against Bublik to 4-2 and posted an 82nd indoor win this decade, the most on tour for this period.
Auger-Aliassime became the first player born outside Europe to reach a Masters final on more than one surface since Kei Nishikori in 2016.
The Canadian also became the fifth player born after 2000 to reach more than one Masters final, joining Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune, and Jack Draper.
Since the Masters began in 1990, Auger-Aliassime remains the second player to reach the Paris final after overturning a set deficit to win in three matches, following Andrey Medvedev in 1993.
Two punchlines to close the piece: If nerves were aces, he just served a perfect one. And Turin may need a bigger trophy shelf after this run.
