Felix Auger-Aliassime’s recurring pain was Stefanos Tsitsipas’ gain at the Open 13 on Sunday afternoon. Auger-Aliassime fell to 0-5 lifetime in ATP finals and Tsitsipas captured his fifth career title with a 6-3, 6-4 victory.
The sixth-ranked Greek has won the Marseille tournament in back-to-back years without dropping a single set.
“I played a good quality of tennis today and I showed everyone what I am capable of,” Tsitsipas commented. “Serving well, returning well, just being there behind every single ball, executing, dominating, and being clever in my decision-making.”
”I feel disappointed,” said Auger-Aliassime, who also finished runner-up in Rotterdam last week. “You never like losing finals, but now it has been five– so it is in my mind. It is tough, but I think it is just going to make me a better player. It is going to build my character and I am going to overcome this challenge one day. I’ll keep working towards that goal. I am working to win bigger tournaments and to achieve even better things, so I am not going to stop here.”
Although the field was not as strong as Marseille’s, the biggest tournament of the week in terms of points came in Rio de Janeiro. Cristian Garin won title No. 4 (all on clay, all within the past 11 months) by beating qualifier Gianluca Mager 7-6(3), 7-5.
“I think this is a gift from all those years working hard (and) suffering,” Garin explained. “This is my dream. I’m enjoying it. I didn’t expect this ever in my life. I’m so, so happy.
“I’m really emotional; winning the Rio Open means a lot to me. It’s hard to describe this past week. I slept only four or five hours and woke up nervous this morning and it ended up being one of the best days of my life.”
If there was a big discrepancy in terms of ranking between the two Rio finalists, there was an even bigger discrepancy in terms of size between the last two men standing in Delray Beach. Reilly Opelka (6’11”) defeated Yoshihito Nishioka (5’7”) for the second time in two weeks to earn his second-ever title. Opelka’s 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-2 victory marked his second match of the day, as he previously took down Milos Raonic 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 in a rain-delayed semifinal.
“I love playing at home; I have a house not far from here–10 minutes,” Opelka noted. “So I base here; I’ve been here the past 10 years, so I’m very comfortable. It’s going to be an event I play a lot the rest of my career just because I plan on staying in South Florida. I love playing in Delray.”
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congrats to the champs