Felix Auger-Aliassime stays alive in Turin with gutsy comeback against Shelton
Some matches are less about dominance and more about survival.
Clawing back when you’re down, leaning into the chaos, and scraping through the cracks. Felix Auger-Aliassime did exactly that on Wednesday night in Turin, where he pulled off a gritty 4-6, 7-6, 7-5 win over Ben Shelton to keep his Nitto ATP Finals campaign alive.
The Canadian came within two points of defeat in a nervy second-set tiebreaker before flipping the script with calm, calculated aggression. It was a comeback not just in scoreline, but in spirit. The kind that echoes across a tough season and silences doubts in real time.
“He was playing much better than me at the start,” Auger-Aliassime admitted after the match. “It’s not often that I get broken twice in the first set indoors… It was a weird start, but as the match went on I was finding ways to put returns in the court. Once we engaged in the rallies, I felt like I could win more. You just have to fight, believe, and play the next point the right way.”
There was plenty of fight.
After losing the first set and falling behind in the second, Auger-Aliassime stared down a match point in the tiebreak and watched Shelton double fault under pressure.
That small opening cracked wide and the Canadian barged through. He steadied his serve, soaked up the American’s thunderous pace, and waited for the right moment to strike.
The third set followed serve until the final game, where Auger-Aliassime broke through with a mix of discipline and guts, outlasting the fifth seed to seal the win after two hours and 25 minutes.
“It was a rollercoaster,” he said on court. “It was the type of match where the two players give everything, and only one can win. It was really tight margins in the second set and the third set, a huge battle.”
For a player whose season has been filled with questions — and more than a few bruises — the moment was significant. Auger-Aliassime had opened group play with a loss to Italian star Jannik Sinner and entered the clash with Shelton still managing the aftershocks of a physical scare in that match.
Against Shelton, though, he moved freely and never looked compromised.
“I felt great, physically. We recovered well, did the right things,” he said. “Today I was able to play two-and-a-half hours of high-intensity tennis. I have to give him credit, he kept coming up with great serves. When the opponent plays that well, you have to give him credit, but also to myself for staying cool.”
The victory moves him to 1-1 in the Björn Borg Group and improves his career record against Shelton to 2-0. It also marks his first ATP Finals win in three years — a milestone that feels hard-earned after a season defined by stops, starts, and stubborn belief.
“Overall for me, the last 12 months have been very positive,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I started the year very healthy. I felt like I was trained well, and I had a great start to the year. Things can get complicated. Sometimes you’re unlucky. Sometimes, it’s not your favorite conditions. But I think I stayed positive throughout the year and believed in myself and my team.”
“We believed all the way through that if we did the right things, we could be here today. So, it’s very gratifying and great to get another win here after three years.”
Now, he turns to a decisive group-stage clash with third seed Alexander Zverev on Friday. If Jannik Sinner wins his second group match, the door swings wide for a straight shootout between Auger-Aliassime and Zverev for a place in the semifinals.
The odds are steep but Felix has lived in that place all year. And he’s not done yet.
