Every match this week has been a battle for Félix Auger-Aliassime in Dubai but he has been up to the challenge. The Canadian defeated Frenchman Quentin Halys in the semifinals in three sets on Friday to reach his third final already in 2025.
Despite needing three sets to get past Alexander Bublik, Nuno Borges, and Marin Cilic, Auger-Aliassime’s fitness played a large role in his semifinal win. Halys got off to a fast start but slowed as the match went along. The Canadian remained solid in the final sets, winning what was also his second three-set win over Halys in as many events 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
Saturday’s final will be Auger-Aliassime’s first ATP 500 final on an outdoor hard court. He has won three ATP 500 titles before, but all of them indoors. He also reached a Masters 1000 final outdoors last year but it was on clay in Madrid.
Auger-Aliassime’s power made a big difference in this match as his 35 winners were more than double Halys’ 16. The Canadian also had 35 unforced errors but the Frenchman comitted almost as many with 34. Break points were also critical as Auger-Aliassime saved seven of nine on his serve while breaking Halys four times on seven opportunities.
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After exchanging breaks to love midway through the opening set, Auger-Aliassime found himself battling to stay alive late. Serving to stay in it at 4-5, the Canadian faced three set points but managed to save them all. But he faced pressure again at 5-6 and at 40-AD, a fourth break/set point for Halys, Auger-Aliassime pushed a forehand wide to drop the opening set.
It did not take long for the Canadian to put the late breakdown behind him in the second set. He pushed Halys hard in the Frenchman’s first service game and then at 2-all, Auger-Aliassime showed off some incredible court coverage before whipping a spectacular forehand winner to set up a break point. A nice return into the serve-and-volleying Halys’ feet on the following point drew an error to take a 3-2 lead.
Once again, the late stages of the set were challenging for Auger-Aliassime, but this time he was up to the task. He had to save a pair of break points when serving for it at 5-4 but erased both with big serves before finding another one on his second set point.
Auger-Aliassime kept his foot on the gas to start the third set, breaking to love in the third game to secure an early advantage. He had a chance to extend that lead with a pair of break points in the fifth game and nearly paid the price when he failed to convert when he fell behind 15-40 in the following game, but a forehand winner and a big serve wiped away Halys’ last chance at a break.
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From there, the Canadian locked in and dominated the rest of the way. The Frenchman was fading as the match went along and Auger-Aliassime cruised through the final games, breaking for the win with an impressive backhand passing shot.
Saturday’s final will be Auger-Aliassime’s third already in 2025, having won the previous two in Adelaide and Montpellier. He will faceS tefanos Tsitsipas for the title. Auger-Aliassime defeated Tsitsipas for his first career title back in 2022, although the Greek leads their head-to-head overall 6-3.
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