Rune conquers Auger-Aliassime to reach the Rolex Paris Masters final !

This afternoon, the two leading men of the moment faced each other in the first semi-final of the day, on the Accor Arena centre court. After two very impressive sets (6-4, 6-2), Holger Rune won his place in the final.

Dominance from start to finish

Big first serve, big shot, that’s how Rune ended the match. And that’s how he controlled the contest from start to finish. From the start, Auger-Aliassime didn’t seem to be in perfect harmony and the Dane didn’t ask himself any questions, immediately unleashing a game full of aggression. Several unforced errors on both sides, but it was the world No. 18 who quickly made the break at 1-1. The Dane was very good at the net and was also devastating on his returns of serve, notably with two missiles in a row when he led 4-2, mystifying the Canadian. The latter limited the damage but could not prevent an imperious Rune from winning the first set (90% of first serves and 83% of points won behind it).

In the second set, Felix got off to another bad start : three big unforced errors, and despite a nice point win, he conceded the break. Holger does not slow down and continues to impose a hellish rhythm on his opponent. He takes the ball very early, distills rockets (notably one at 97 mph !) and prevents Auger-Aliassime from settling in the court. Largely behind in the score, the world number 8 gave the impression of being helpless. However, he always manages to keep a decent first ball to keep himself alive, and makes some excellent climbs to the net. The only way he managed to dominate Rune on a few points was paradoxically via this one that he conceded the double-break to the Dane : low volley attempt completely missed and his hopes of a comeback (if they existed) were gone. Powerless, Felix nevertheless smiles again and the crowd goes wild when he concludes a point of genius with a tweener and a crossing passing-shot from his baseline. But in the end, Holger remained imperious, got his revenge and put an end to the “FAA” 16-wins streak. The Dane also claims his first final Masters 1000 spot. Tomorrow he will face either Novak Djokovic or Stefanos Tsitsipas.