Auger-Aliassime extends winning streak to 15 matches, advances to Paris Masters quarter-finals
Montreal native defeats Gilles Simon in Frenchman's final match of his career
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced to the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters tennis tournament and increased his winning streak to 15 matches with a 6-1, 6-3 win over French wild-card Gilles Simon on Thursday.
After the eight-seeded Auger-Aliassime and Simon traded holds early in the second set, the 22-year-old Canadian won four straight games to clinch the match. He ended the one-hour, 33-minute showdown with his fourth break on seven chances.
The victory came a day after Simon helped Auger-Aliassime qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals for the first time.
WATCH | Auger-Aliassime claims 15th straight victory in Paris:
Simon's upset win over Taylor Fritz in the tournament's second round meant the American could not catch Auger-Aliassime in the race for one of the two remaining spots in the elite tennis showcase.
Fritz's loss, coupled with Holger Rune's win over Hubert Hurkacz in the second round, clinched the final two spots in the Finals for Auger-Aliassime and Russia's Andrey Rublev.
The 37-year-old Simon, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 6 in 2009, has said he will retire after the Paris Masters.
Auger-Aliassime will next face 16th-seed American Frances Tiafoe in the Paris quarter-finals. The Canadian has won both previous meetings with Tiafoe, including a victory on clay earlier this year at the Barcelona Open.
Auger-Aliassime entered the tournament on the heels of three straight titles: ATP 250 tournament wins in Florence, Italy, and Antwerp, Belgium, and the ATP 500 win in Basel.
He is seeking his first Masters-level title in Paris.
WATCH | Auger-Aliassime collects 4th career title with win in Vienna:
Alcaraz, Djokovic advance; Musetti upsets Ruud
Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the quarter-finals at the Paris Masters with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Grigor Dimitrov on Thursday.
Alcaraz, the U.S. Open champion, will next play Rune for a place in the semifinals after the Danish teenager beat Rublev 6-4, 7-5. It's the first time that teenagers — both are 19 years old — will square off in a Paris Masters quarter-final.
The 20-year-old Musetti will play Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals after the 21-time Grand Slam champion beat Karen Khachanov of Russia 6-4, 6-1.
Djokovic extended his winning streak in tour-level matches to 11 as he chases a seventh title at the tournament.
American Tommy Paul beat Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4, 6-4 and will next face fifth-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas, who eliminated French qualifier Corentin Moutet 6-3, 7-6 (3) to earn his tour-leading 59th win of the year.
With files from The Associated Press
