FAA fends off emotional Rune in Basel

Felix Auger-Aliassime won a re-run of last October’s final, defeating a listless Holger Rune 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday to reach the title match at the Swiss Indoors for the second year in a row.

The Canadian whose season went walkabout (injury, illness) during most of 2023 after lifting three titles in three weeks last autumn, will play his first ATP final since his defeat of Rune 12 months ago here.

The loss in 83 minutes put Rune in danger as his bid to remain in the eight-man ATP Finals comes under pressure.

The 20-year-old Dane currently holds the last place in the Turin field but is just over 200 points ahead of chasing contender Huber Hurkacz, a semi-final winner earlier in the day over Ugo Humbert 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (5). .

The Pole moved up a place to provisional ninth passing Taylor Fritz in the points table.

Hurkacz finished with 23 winners and 35 unforced errors, going two-for-seven on break chances.

“I served for it, but Ugo played amazing,” the winner said. “The match was not so much fun for me at the end.

“I was just trying to stay in it, going for a chance to fight.”

Rune never appeared to be in the match from the start, with the player now coached by Boris Becker antsy and distracted by such inconveniences as camera lights in the crowd at the St Jakobshalle.

The Dane rushed through his service games while his opponent remained concentrated as he dealt with the minor meltdown on the opposite side of the court..

FAA held his nerve as Rune salvaged three break points in the third game of the second set which would have put him two breaks down.

The calm Canadian ultimately prevailed, securing the double break for 5-2 and serving out victory a game later after saving two break points and finishing with a service winner. 

“That was my best match in awhile – maybe this season,” FAA said “You have to go back to last autumn when I was playing this well.

“Holger beat me a few weeks ago in Beijing, where I made too many mistakes.

“Maybe he was waiting for that again today, but I didn’t give them to him.

“It was a mental battle, you can easily lose focus. I had to keep being the aggressor in the second set.”

Hurkacz, who won a Masters in Shanghai,and will now play his second final from his last three events. needed five match points – and an eighth ace – to close out victory in two and three-quarter hours.

The Pole won a match for the 10th time this season thanks to success in a final-set tiebreak finish.

He missed a pair of winning chances leading 5-23 in the third set, with Humbert saving two match points.

Hurkacz earned three more chances in the tiebreaker, finally moving through after falling on the court late in the match and bloodying the knuckles on his right hand.

Auger-Aliassime leads their career series 2-1.