Basel | Auger Aliassime trumps Rune for third successive title

The final of the Swiss Indoors in Basle, Switzerland, between Felix Auger Aliassime and Holger Rune, lived up to expectations in what was the first meeting between these two young players who are set to become great rivals over the coming years.

It's not over, hopefully I can keep going. I'm feeling all the good emotions that come with winning a tournament Felix Auger-Aliassime

On this occasion though, it was Auger Aliassime who emerged the victor as he held his nerve to extend his winning run to 13 for his third successive title in as many weeks.

The Canadian 22-year-old defeated Denmark’s temperamental 19-year-old 6-3 7-5 to end the week without his serve ever being broken.

Rune also arrived in the final having held his serve throughout and not dropping a set all week and it was anyone’ guess as to who would crack first in the final.

As it turned out it was the teenager who fell behind 3-1 in the first set with Auger Aliassime taking early control. That break was all he needed to then pocket the opener after 34-minutes.

The second set was tighter affair as Rune became more aggressive on the court where he allowed his emotions to boil over.

His frustration were uelled by his inability to break the Canadian despite having three chances to do just that. The first came in the second game which was saved with an ace, and the next two break points he held were in the eighth game and again, two successive aces foiled him.

Auger Aliassime was definitely having to work harder to retain control of the proceedings which he did with a lot of patience, calm and concentration.

Rune drew an unsportsmanlike conduct warning after loudly complaining about what he said was a blinking light in an on-court advert which he claimed distracted him in the second set.

In the 11th game, Auger Aliassime’s patience reaped its reward as on his fifth break point, a very frustrated Rune netted a backhand to hand him the advantage he was looking for. The teenager also collected a warning for ball abuse.

The Canadian then served out in the next game but not without a last effort from the Dane who saved two match points before conceding by returning over the base line.

“I feel over the moon,” Auger-Aliassime said after claiming his fourth trophy of the season and his third on the trot following successes in Florence, Antwerp.

“It’s been an amazing week, not getting broken. It’s been a dream for me, fantastic.”

The Canadian finished with 28 winners and the same in unforced errors for a match lasting just an hour and 39-minutes. He also delivered 11 aces and 3 double faults in comparison to Rune’s 3 and 0.

“It’s been a long year, a long stretch of wins,” added the Canadian, who was last defeated on October 3 in Astana by the Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut.

“It’s not over, hopefully I can keep going. I’m feeling all the good emotions that come with winning a tournament,” he concluded as he prepares for the Paris Masters and hopefully hangs on to his place in the ATP Finals next month where he is currently placed 6th in the 8-man field.