Felix Auger-Aliassime claimed his ninth ATP Tour title by defeating Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 7-6(4) in the Open Occitanie final in Montpellier. The Canadian top seed did not face a single break point in a dominant 96-minute victory on indoor hard courts. This win sets a new record for the most Tour titles by a Canadian in the Open Era.
On Sunday afternoon in Montpellier, France, Felix Auger-Aliassime successfully defended his Open Occitanie crown, overcoming home favorite Adrian Mannarino in straight sets. The 25-year-old Canadian, seeded first, started strongly by winning the opening eight points and breaking Mannarino's serve twice to take the first set 6-3. The second set proved tighter, with both players holding serve until a tie-break. Trailing 2-4 in the breaker, Auger-Aliassime rallied to win five straight points, securing the match 7-6(4) and improving his head-to-head record against Mannarino to 2-1.
Auger-Aliassime's serve was pivotal, as he won 87 percent of first-serve points and fired 13 aces, according to Infosys ATP Stats. He faced no break points throughout the 96-minute encounter, marking his eighth indoor hard-court title. "Adrian is always a very tough opponent to play, for all players, I think," Auger-Aliassime said in his on-court interview. "That’s why myself and all our peers on Tour have so much respect for him and the challenge he poses on the court. I knew it was going to be a tough match today, so I’m very happy. It’s amazing emotions to win again here. I’m thrilled with my whole week and especially today."
En route to the final, Auger-Aliassime defeated Stan Wawrinka, Arthur Fils, and Titouan Droguet. This victory, his ninth on Tour, surpasses Milos Raonic's tally and establishes him as Canada's most successful men's singles player in the Open Era. It also represents his 89th indoor win this decade, the highest among active players. Following a first-round retirement at the Australian Open due to cramping, Auger-Aliassime will rise to No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday and enter the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam with momentum.
