Felix Auger Aliassime came back from one set down to beat Alexandre Muller 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4) at Paris La Defense Arena in the second round of Paris Rolex Masters keeping alive his hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
Auger Aliassime went down a set and a break down but he held on to take a crucial win. The Canadian player fired 50 winners, including 21 aces, but he made 55 unforced errors. Muller fired 20 winners and made just 24 unforced errors.
Muller earned the first break forcing an error on set point to win the first set 7-5. The Frenchman went up a break In the second game to take a 2-0 lead in the second set. Auger Aliassime broke straight back in the next game and held serve in his next service games to force the se to the tie-break. Muller took a 5-4 lead in the tie-break, but Auger Aliassime fired back-to-back aces before closing out the tie-break on his first set point on return.
Both players held on serve in the third set en route to the tie-break. Auger Aliassime missed a match point on return at 6-5 30-40 in the third set. The Canadian player went down 1-3 in the tie-break, but he came back by winning seven of the final eight points to clinch the tie-break 7-4 after 3 hours and 5 minutes.
Auger Aliassime has played in eleven tie-breaks in his last nine matches. The Canadian player is tied for fourth with a tie-break winning percentage of 69.2.
Auger Aliassime is ninth in the Live Race to Turin, 390 points behind Lorenzo Musetti, who lost to his compatriot Lorenzo Sonego 6-3 3-6 1-6 in 1 hour and 56 minutes.
Sonego saved a break point in the third game of the first set. Musetti earned a break in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead and held his next service games to close out the first set with a hold at love.
The second set went on serve in the first six games. Musetti did not convert two break points in the second game. Sonego earned a break in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead and served out the second set 6-3 with a hold at 15.
Sonego broke three times in the first, fifth and seventh games to win the third set 6-1.
Sonego will face a third round match against Danil Medvedev.
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