MELBOURNE, Australia — Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to the final of the Murray River Open.
The No. 3 seed, from Montreal, downed world No. 80 Corentin Moutet of France 6-1, 6-2 in a semifinal at the Australian Open tune-up tournament on Saturday.
Auger-Aliassime will face No. 8 seed Daniel Evans of Great Britain in the final of the ATP Tour event on Sunday (Saturday night Eastern Time). Evans beat Jeremy Chardy of France 6-2, 6-2 in the other semifinal.
Auger-Aliassime won 25 of 27 first-service points against Moutet.
“Everything went well from my side and I served well, a bit like last night,” Auger-Aliassime said in an on-court interview. “I’m playing well and feeling healthy. I am trying to finish the week strong. I need to keep doing the things I’m doing well. I need to serve well and be dominant tomorrow (against Evans).”
The 20-year-old Auger-Aliassime, ranked 21st in the world, has an 0-6 lifetime record in ATP Tour finals.
Evans, the world No. 33, also is looking for his first career title. He is 0-2 in finals.
The Canadian is gearing up for his second main-draw appearance of his career at the Australian Open. He lost in the first round of the Grand Slam last year.
The 20th-seeded Auger-Aliassime will face German lucky loser Cedrik-Marcel Stebe in the first round this year.
Auger-Aliassime is one of seven Canadian players in the singles draws at the Australian Open, which begins Monday (Sunday night Eastern Time).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2021.
The Canadian Press
