Second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime rallied to beat American Aleksandar Kovacevic at the Open Occitanie final, becoming the first player to win multiple ATP Tour titles this season on Sunday in Montpellier.
World No. 23 Felix Auger-Aliassime powered past American qualifier Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-2, 6-7(7), 7-6(2) in an edgy two-hour, 39-minute championship match to claim his second title of the season, his seventh overall.
In his on-court interview, the brand-new Open Occitanie champion said: “For sure, the craziest final I have played, whether I won or lost. It was a crazy match.”
Assessing his performance, he added: “I couldn’t have got a better start. I was feeling good, but credit to Aleks, he raised his level.
“It was a very high level on both ends, serving well. This match deserved to go three sets with the way he was playing in the second.”
On Sunday, the 24-year-old met Kovacevic for the second time, an adversary who came from qualifying to reach his maiden final on tour at age 26.
The tight, tense championship match, dominated by serve, tested the players mentally and physically.
The former world No. 6 hit first, getting the better of his rival to take the opener 6-2.
Nonetheless, as the second set wore on, the big-hitting American went toe-to-toe with the experienced Canadian No.1, pushing for a tiebreak he won after saving two match points to force a decider.
Then, under heavy pressure, Auger-Aliassime navigated out of danger to secure a third-set tiebreak against the relentless world No. 102.
And he made a perfect start, quickly earning a 3-0 lead. However, the New York-born fought back, playing with great aggression to narrow the gap to 2-4.
But the momentum never left the Canadian side of the court, who forced his opponent to commit costly errors, sealing with an ace his 53rd indoor win since the start of the 2022 season, having captured six of his seven career titles on the indoor hard courts.
He won 78 percent of his first-serve points, converted two of three breakpoints, and did not face a break point in the match.
As a result of a solid start to the new season, Frederic Fontang’s pupil became the first player to win multiple ATP Tour titles this year in Adelaide and Montpellier.
Meanwhile, finishing a runner-up will see the American player rising to No. 75 in the Rankings on Monday.
En route to his first title match at tour level, Kovacevic showcased a clinical display across the seven matchups he played during an inspired week on French soil.
Putting to good use his one-handed backhand and powerful forehand, he painted the lines, stunning two-time Montpellier champion Alexander Bublik and world No. 10 Andrey Rublev to go the distance.