ATP 500 – Basel: Félix Auger-Aliassime retains his crown after final victory over Hubert Hurkacz

On this Sunday afternoon, Canada’s Auger-Aliassime (world no. 19) may well have saved his season. In the final of the Basel tournament, where he is the defending champion, FAA defeated Hubert Hurkacz (world no. 11) of Poland in two sets, 7-6 / 7-6, after almost two hours of play.

In the midst of one of the worst seasons of his career, the 23-year-old Canadian is finally finding some happiness in 2023. This afternoon, he won the ATP 500 Basel after beating Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, recently crowned champion of the Shanghai Masters 1000. Building on the momentum of the previous few days, Auger-Aliassime was solid and full of confidence when he hit the ball. This was evidenced by his 43 winning shots (and only 5 unforced errors). On serve, whether on his first or second ball, he also played a very good match. In the end, it was a very close match, especially in the first set. In the second set, Hubert Hurkacz soon began to wince, suffering from a sore quadriceps.

Indoor to the rescue

And Auger-Aliassime badly needed this final victory. Whether to regain his confidence and consistency, or to save his season. As a reminder, the Montrealer is coming off a fine 2022 season (60W 28L, 4 titles), in which he was crowned champion at the Basel tournament. In addition to being plagued by doubts this year, with an injury and a more than average record (21W 19L), FAA would have lost many places in the ATP rankings had he not retained his crown this afternoon. When he plays on hard court indoors, the Canadian always resurfaces… It remains to be seen whether he can follow this up in Bercy for the Rolex Paris Masters next week.