Félix Auger-Aliassime clinches “rollercoaster” comeback vs. Ben Shelton at ATP Finals

Félix Auger-Aliassime scored his first ATP Finals victory in three years in dramatic fashion on Wednesday, rallying from a set down to stun Ben Shelton, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5.

🖥️REPLAY: Félix Auger-Aliassime d. Ben Shelton, ATP Finals RR

The eighth-seeded Canadian last competed in Turin back in 2022; playing a match reminiscent of his own career’s ups and downs in the years since, Auger-Aliassime eked out a second set tiebreaker and scored a crucial break in the third to stun the fifth-seeded American and stay alive in the Björn Borg round-robin group after two hours and 25 minutes.

“It was a rollercoaster,” Auger-Aliassime said on court after the match. “It was the type of match where the two players give everything, and only one can win. It was really tight margins in the second set and the third set, a huge battle.”

Both 0-1 after their first matches—Auger-Aliassime losing to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Shelton falling to No. 3 Alexander Zverev—Shelton looked to have the match when he earned a break point in the ninth game of the second set. But Auger-Aliassime kept battling and shook off losing a 6-4 advantage in the subsequent tiebreaker, hitting through nerves to force a deciding set.

“I have a lot of respect for Ben and everything he does, so it was a pleasure to share the court with him and to play tennis that way, really being involved and playing with high emotions every point.”

The third set went with serve until the final game, where Shelton saved two match points in hopes off forcing a final Sudden Death, but Auger-Aliassime would not be denied and outrallied the fiery American one last time to get on the board in round-robin play and put himself in position to reach a first semifinal.

Auger-Aliassime has been on fire in the last three months, reaching a second Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open—his best major result since 2021—and storming into the Rolex Paris Masters final to clinch a late berth to the ATP Finals.

“Overall for me, the last 12 months have been very positive,” said Auger-Aliassime. “I started the year very healthy. I felt like I was trained well, and I had a great start to the year. Things can get complicated. Sometimes you’re unlucky. Sometimes, it’s not your favorite conditions. But I think I stayed positive throughout the year and believed in myself and my team.

“We believed all the way through that if we did the right things, we could be here today. So, it’s very gratifying and great to get another win here after three years.”

Auger-Aliassime’s chances of reaching the semis will, in part, come down to the result in the second singles match of the day between Sinner and Zverev. Should Sinner claim a second round-robin victory, the Italian will win the group and Auger-Aliassime and Zverev will play for the second place, guaranteeing the winner a spot in the semis.