With a 6-1, 6-3 victory against French wild-card Gilles Simon on Thursday, Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal progressed to the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters tennis tournament and extended his winning streak to 15 games.
In an effort to win his fourth straight tournament, Auger-Aliassime quickly established control. In a commanding opening set, he had seven aces, broke Simon twice on five opportunities, and did not encounter his own break point.
Early in the second set, Auger-Aliassime, the eighth-seeded player, and Simon traded holds. The 22-year-old Canadian then won four straight games to win the match. He recorded his fourth break out of seven opportunities to finish the one hour, 33 minute match.
The triumph came a day after Simon assisted Auger-Aliassime in becoming the first player to ever qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals.
Félix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal wins decisively to advance to the Swiss Indoors quarterfinals
The American was unable to overtake Auger-Aliassime in the race for one of the two remaining slots in the premier tennis showcase after Simon’s shocking victory over Taylor Fritz in the tournament’s second round.
With Fritz’s defeat and Holger Rune’s victory over Hubert Hurkacz in the second round, Auger-Aliassime and Andrey Rublev of Russia secured the final two berths in the Finals.
After the Paris Masters, the 37-year-old Simon, who peaked at No. 6 in 2009, has announced his retirement.
In the quarterfinals of the Paris tournament, Auger-Aliassime will play the 16th-seeded American Frances Tiafoe. In their two previous encounters, the Canadian came out on top, including a triumph on clay earlier this year at the Barcelona Open.
After winning the ATP 250 tournaments in Florence, Italy, and Antwerp, Belgium, as well as the ATP 500 tournament in Basel, Auger-Aliassime entered the competition on a three-match winning streak.
In Paris, he is vying for his first Masters-level victory.
Auger-Aliassime of Montreal advances to the quarterfinals in Paris
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