Felix Auger-Aliassime is clearly fatigued and running on tired legs, but with ATP Finals qualification on the line, he’s finding energy from nowhere to pull off impressive wins. All three of his matches so far in this Paris Masters campaign have gone the full distance, and in each one, he dropped the first set before rallying to victory against Francisco Comesaña, Alexandre Muller, and Daniel Altmaier.
The top-ranked Canadian was on the verge of falling out of the ATP top 30 by the end of the grass-court swing, but his resurgence since then has been remarkable. Consistent deep runs in every tournament during this strong stretch have paid off handsomely. He climbed back into the top 10 after his title win in Brussels earlier this month, and by following it up with back-to-back quarterfinal appearances in Basel and the Paris Masters, he has kept his hopes of qualifying for Turin very much alive.
He has narrowed the gap with Lorenzo Musetti in the Race to Turin, with Musetti currently holding the final qualifying spot but already out of the Paris Masters this week. Felix will move past Musetti into the 8th position if he reaches the final, and he can officially secure his ATP Finals qualification by winning the title.
It’s hard to find many flaws in Felix Auger-Aliassime’s recent form, as he has been outstanding over the past few weeks. However, his impressive run almost pales in comparison to that of his quarterfinal opponent, Valentin Vacherot, who has been the hottest player on tour this month. Ranked outside the top 200 at the start of October, Vacherot now has a real chance to break into the top 30 next month. His sensational rise mirrors the kind of breakout surge Aslan Karatsev produced back in 2021.
The Monegasque player won nine consecutive matches as a qualifier, including a stunning victory over Novak Djokovic, to claim the Shanghai Masters title earlier this month, one of the most remarkable runs in recent memory. Building on the momentum from that triumph and the wildcard he earned as a result, Vacherot has continued his sensational form this week, reaching the quarterfinals with impressive wins over Jiri Lehecka, Arthur Rinderknech, and Cameron Norrie.
He has recorded 10 wins at the Masters level in 2025, the second-highest total behind only Carlos Alcaraz. Moreover, he is currently on a 10-match winning streak in Masters events. Vacherot has also performed impressively in his limited outings against top-10 players, holding a 1-2 record, highlighted by a victory over Novak Djokovic, a tight three-set loss to Taylor Fritz, and a close battle with Grigor Dimitrov.
Head-to-head: 0-0. Valentin Vacherot has won 12 of his last 13 matches against higher-ranked opponents, and with Felix Auger-Aliassime showing signs of heavy fatigue and low energy, the in-form Monegasque has a real opportunity to extend both his remarkable run against top-ranked players and his ongoing Masters winning streak.
