Stefanos Tsitsipas retained his title at the ATP 250 tournament in Marseille on Sunday, and the Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime maintains his curse of the lost finals, he who was beaten (6-3, 6-4) by the Greek. If Tsitsipas, seeded number 2, wins at 21 the fifth title of his career, Auger-Aliassime (number 7) is still chasing his first trophy. The Canadian loses his fifth out of five finals, a week after the fourth, left to Gaël Monfils in Rotterdam. "Playing a final is wonderful: you have to have this perspective, remember that everything is going in the right direction despite everything," argues Auger-Aliassime, the Frenchman Gilles Simon's downfall in the previous round. “It's heavy to lose in the final every time. There is this little doubt, when is it my turn? But it's not like I'm frozen, I don't have enormous stress that prevents me from performing. ” And then his opponent "played at a very, very high level today".
For Tsitsipas, "it's even better the second time, repeating the victory is more difficult". The winner of the last Masters, who did not lose a set of the week at the Open 13, like last year, raced almost the entire match. Auger-Aliassime attacked him from the start, but made too many mistakes. Tsitsipas, quieter, won the first leg on his first set ball, in a game where he had just saved three break points. In the second set, the match could have changed. The 19-year-old Canadian prodigy saved three break points at 0-40 in the fifth game. On the third, Auger-Aliassime completed an easy end that he had just missed moments before and smiled a smile that promised a comeback. But Tsitsipas still ended up making the break (3-2).
"I did well mentally, I did not crack when I was under pressure," said Tsitsipas. FAA fought again, equalizing 3 everywhere, but again let go of its service and did not see Tsitsipas again, who won on his first match point. Auger Aliassime will have to wait before opening his prize list. But he wants to use "this frustration. You have to go through it, learn to digest, it's not the first, not the last. I'm a little sickened of losing in the final, it's frustrating, but nothing to do, we have to try again, ”he adds before flying off to try his luck at Acapulco.
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