Paris Masters 2022: Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Holger Rune preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (8) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Holger Rune.
Date: November 5, 2022.
Tournament: Paris Masters 2022.
Round: Semifinal.
Venue: Paris, France.
Category: ATP Masters 1000.
Surface: Indoor hardcourt.
Prize money: €5,415,410.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN & Sportsnet | UK - Amazon Prime.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Holger Rune preview
World No. 8 Felix Auger-Aliassime will square off against Holger Rune in the semifinals of the 2022 Paris Masters on Saturday.
Auger-Aliassime reached the quarterfinals by defeating Mikael Ymer and Gilles Simon. He took on Frances Tiafoe for a spot in the semifinals. The 22-year-old was off to a hot start as he snagged an early break for a 3-0 lead. He almost made it 4-0 as well, but the American erased the break point that he faced for a hold of serve.
Auger-Aliassime was simply too good as he went on to claim the next three games to take the first set. The Canadian once again bagged an early break to go 3-1 up in the second set. The pair remained steady on serve after that, with Tiafoe even saving five match points to make it 5-4.
It turned out to be his last stand as Auger-Aliassime closed out the proceedings in the next game to win 6-1, 6-4. It marked his 16th win on the trot, while advancing to his second Masters 1000 semifinal and ninth of the season.
Holger Rune defeated Stan Wawrinka, Hubert Hurkacz and Andrey Rublev to set up a quarterfinal showdown against current US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz. The Dane held a couple of break points early on in the opening set, but was unable to convert them. Nevertheless, he was successful in securing a break of serve in the sixth game to lead 4-2.
After another couple of games, Rune served out the set to take the lead in the match. He held a break point at the start of the second set, but the Spaniard came up with the goods to hold serve. Later on, it was the World No. 1 who missed a couple of break points in the eighth game of the set.
Alcaraz then took a medical time-out for an abdominal issue following the 11th game. After a hold of serve by Rune, the set went into a tie-break. The young Dane led 3-1, following which the World No. 1 called it quits as he was unable to continue, sending his opponent into his maiden Masters 1000 semifinal.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Holger Rune head-to-head
Auger-Aliassime leads Rune 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter just a few days ago in the final of the Swiss Indoors in straight sets.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Holger Rune odds
Odds will be added once they're available.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Holger Rune prediction
After a rocky start to the tournament, Auger-Aliassime has raised his level by a fair margin. He was clinical on serve against Tiafoe, hitting eight aces while winning 86% of his first serve points. He also struck 26 winners while committing half as many unforced errors.
Rune has been playing fearless tennis this week and wasn't daunted by the prospect of facing the World No. 1. He went toe-to-toe with Alcaraz and often came out on top. The Dane smashed 30 winners compared to 15 unforced errors.
Rune and Auger-Aliassime competed in the final of the Swiss Indoors less than a week ago, with the Canadian coming out on top. Rune was unable to deal with Auger-Aliassime's booming serve, going 0/3 on break points. He'll be aiming for a better performance this time.
Both have been competing incredibly well over the past few months, but Auger-Aliassime's unbeaten run makes him the favorite to win this encounter.
Pick: Felix Auger-Aliassime to win in straight sets.