Montreal’s Auger-Aliassime downs top-seeded Nadal at ATP Finals
Global News
The win evens Auger-Aliassime's round-robin record to 1-1 after the Canadian dropped Sunday's opener 7-6 (4), 6-4 to Norway's Casper Ruud.
Canada’s Félix Auger-Aliassime scored a 6-3, 6-4 win over top-seeded Rafael Nadal in round-robin play at the ATP Finals on Tuesday.
Auger-Aliassime, seeded fifth in the season-ending men’s championship, won 81 per cent of his first serve points and delivered 15 aces
The win evens Auger-Aliassime’s round-robin record to 1-1 after the Canadian dropped Sunday’s opener 7-6 (4), 6-4 to Norway’s Casper Ruud.
Nadal, meanwhile, falls to 0-2 with one match remaining in pool play.
Auger-Aliassime will next meet eighth-seeded American Taylor Fritz, who was set to meet Ruud later Tuesday.
Nadal will be eliminated from the event if Fritz falls to the 23-year-old Norwegian.
“I’m one win, one loss now. If I can get two wins, hopefully I can get through, so let’s see how it goes,” Auger-Aliassime said. “They will play it out tonight and I will be ready for Taylor in two days. It won’t be easy. He has been playing really good this year and these conditions are perfect for him.”
It was the Montreal native’s first career win over the 22-time Grand Slam champion. Nadal had beaten Auger-Aliassime twice previously, including a gruelling five-set decision at the French Open in May.
