Auger-Aliassime’s Win In Brussels Was Three Hours Of Fight And Fun

Felix Auger-Aliassime
Felix Auger-Aliassime (photo: Belga/David Pintens)

BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON, October 17, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

As the only former champion in the draw of this year’s BNP Paribas Fortis European Open, Felix Auger-Aliassime is bidding to become the first player to win multiple titles at the ATP 250 indoor hardcourt event taking place for the first time in Brussels following a nine-year-run in Antwerp.

In his first competition of the week, the World No. 13 from Canada advanced to the quarterfinal round of his fourth straight ATP Tour event following a 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (5) victory over 67th-ranked Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia-Herzegovina that lasted two hours and 53 minutes on the Palais 12 Centre Court Thursday afternoon. 

Into the last eight, the 25-year-old Auger-Aliassime will face 111th-ranked American qualifier Eliot Spizzirri, who upset No. 86 Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands, 7-5, 6-0, in 74 minutes Thursday evening. The 23-year-old Spizzirri has won two straight tour-level matches for the first time in his career and he’s through to his first ATP Tour quarterfinal. He finished with 20 winners – including 10 aces and outpointed van de Zandschulp 65-39.

With his latest triumph, Auger-Aliassime owns a 76-34 (.690) record indoors and it’s where he has won six of his seven career ATP Tour titles, including the European Open in 2022. It was three years ago that Auger-Aliassime enjoyed a breakout 2022 season, in which he won a personal-best 60 matches – including a 16-match winning streak – and three straight titles at Florence, Antwerp and Basel. 

More recently, Auger-Aliassime won a pair of titles earlier this season at Adelaide and Montpellier and was a finalist at Dubai. Since August, he has reached the quarterfinals in Cincinnati, Shanghai and Brussels, and enjoyed a semifinal run at the US Open.

“When you have a past [history] in a tournament, which is my case when I won in Antwerp a few years ago, it’s always nice to come back,” Auger-Aliassime said earlier this week during his pre-tournament news conference. 

Against Dzumhur, Auger-Aliassime dominated play from his forehand side in the opening set, striking 15 of his 24 first-set winners while hitting seven aces. However, Dzumhur pushed back in the second set and broke Auger-Aliassime in consecutive service games to win 6-4 and force a decider. 

Although the Canadian No. 1 eventually needed four match points to prevail, after the first three slipped away while ahead 5-4 in the 10th game on Dzumhur’s serve, he maintained a steady demeanor throughout. Auger-Aliassime never lost his cool or composure and ultimately garnered his 38th victory of the season by winning four of the last five points during the third-set tie-break, while preventing Dzumhur from earning a milestone 150th career ATP Tour win.

“I am feeling good and better now the match is over and I won,” said Auger-Aliassime, who improved his 2025 season win-loss record to 38-20 – 4-1 since getting married last month in Marrakech, Morocco. “It was a tough day for different reasons and you just have to fight and get through. It was three hours but a lot of fun.”

Auger-Aliassime finished the second-round match with 22 aces and 63 overall winners – 33 of them from his forehand side. He won 78 percent (57 of 73) of his first-serve points, was broken twice and converted just one of 14 break-point chances against the tough-as-nails Dzumhur, who struck 21 winners and committed 29 unforced errors. By the end, points were even at 122 each.

“Fortunately, I was able to win the important points in the end,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Now, it’s time for some rest for my quarterfinals.”

Entering the week, Auger-Aliassime trailed tournament top seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy for the final berth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin by 530 points. He’s hoping a good end of the season run in Brussels this week, Basel next week and the Rolex Paris Masters, which starts at the end of the month, will be enough to boost him into the Nitto ATP Finals for the second time in his young career.

Mpetshi Perricard looking to end season on a positive note

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard began his ATP Tour career in 2024 by going 6-1 against Top 20 opponents, including a pair of wins over Felix Auger-Aliassime and Holger Rune to win the Swiss Open title in Basel without dropping serve the entire tournament. Earlier this year, Mpetshi Perricard reached a career-high ranking of No. 29 in February.

However, as the 2025 season has progressed, the 22-year-old World No. 37 from Lyon, France has been unable to sustain the momentum he achieved last year as he rose steadily in the ATP Rankings starting from World No. 205. He entered play this week in Brussels with a 16-22 win-loss record, ranked 37th, looking to put together a strong run during the European indoor swing to end the year on a positive note. 

After firing a ATP Tour season-high 39 aces in his first-round win over Emil Ruusuovuori of Finland, the 6-foot-7-inch Mpetshi Perricard took on 101st-ranked qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia, six years removed from being a Top-20 player on tour due to a series of significant right elbow injuries that required multiple surgeries. Earlier this week, the 33-year-old Georgia rose through qualifying with a pair of wins and advanced to the second round of the main draw following a straight-set victory over 77th-ranked Quentin Halys of France. 

Against Mpetshi Perricard, Basilashvili looked to reach his 30th career tour-level quarterfinal – and third of the season after Montpellier and Chengdu. However, his attempt was cut short by a retirement following the first point of the second set, after he injured his right shoulder in the final game of the first set that subsequently required a medical time out. Basilashvili was unable to get much on his first serve to open the second set and knew it was time to put an end to the tussle.

During the first half hour of this second-round match on Centre Court, both competitors played steady and unnerving tennis. However, at 5-all, Mpetshi Perricard gained his first break point against Basilashvili at 15-40 and converted it by coming into the net and volleying an outstretched backhand return that the Georgian was unable to return. He consolidated it with a trio of booming aces with a deft forehand volley winner mixed in and won the 35-minute first set 7-5. 

“It’s was a tough one [to win],” Mpetshi Perricard said during his on-court interview. “I know it will be a tough one in the quarters. I hope to be ready and we’ll see what happens.”

Mpetshi Perricard finished the abbreviated match with 14 winners to 11 unforced errors, hit 10 aces and dropped just one point on his first serve, winning 22 of 23 (96 percent) first-serve points. He outpointed Basilashvili 34-27 en route to his 18th win of the season and sixth career ATP Tour quarterfinal, two years after reaching his first at the same tournament.

In Friday’s quarterfinal round, Mpetshi Perricard will face World No. 8 and top seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, who edged past 139th-ranked German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann, 7-6 (3), 7-5, in one hour and 37 minutes Thursday evening. 

Musetti, who outpointed Hanfmann 71-64, won the more important points throughout the second-round match and became the seventh Italian man to reach 10 tour-level quarterfinals this season. He’s also the third Italian quarterfinalist in this event following Andreas Seppi (2016) and Jannik Sinner (2019, 2021). It’s also his first quarterfinal run since reaching the semifinals at Vienna last year.

The 23-year-old Carrara native finished with 18 winners to 15 unforced errors, won 84 percent (37 of 44) of his first-serve points and back it by winning 70 percent (16 of 23) of the points on his second serve. He faced no break points and converted the only break-point chance against Hanfmann, which came during the German’s final service game of the match. Hanfmann hit 19 winners but made 31 unforced errors.

“For me, I like to challenge myself with these conditions,” Musetti said during his on-court interview. “I appreciate all of the support from the crowd. It was a tough match because [Yannick] was serving really well. Honestly, the conditions were really fast. I didn’t find so much rhythm from the baseline. It was not easy to return. At the end, I managed to earn the break and I served well. I’m really, really happy and proud of the win.”

Around the Brussels Expo

• In doubles, No. 2 seeds Christian Harrison and Evan King of the United States advanced to the semifinal round with a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4) victory over Czech pair Petr Nouza and Patrik Rikl in one hour and 20 minutes. The American duo combined to hit 12 aces and saved both break points they faced. They outscored their opponents 74-66. Next, they will face No. 4 seeds Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo of Brazil, who defeated Alexander Blockx and Tibo Colson of Belgium, 6-2, 7-6 (2), by outscoring the Belgians 68-51.

• Meanwhile, No. 1 seeds Hugo Nys of Monaco and Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France defeated Ariel Behar of Uruguay and Joran Vliegan of Belgium, 6-4, 6-4, in a 74-minute quarterfinal to earn a berth in the last four. The winners will take on French duo Benjamin Bonzi and Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the semifinals.

Thursday’s European Open results

Friday’s European Open order of play

By the numbers

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of France fired 39 service aces in his first-round victory over Emil Ruusuovuori of Finland – tops on the ATP Tour for a single match. He added 10 during his abbreviated second-round win by retirement over Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia. The Frenchman has compiled 535 service aces this season.

“Quotable …”

“I kept pushing myself and [told myself] not give up. Marcos played unbelievable tennis, a huge performance from him. I’m happy to have this win. I’m happy with my performance. Physically, I’m okay. Today, I gave 100 percent and mentally it was tough. The end of the year is always tough. I’m happy to win today.”

World No. 20 and fourth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain, during his on-court interview, following his 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-4 second-round victory Wednesday evening over No. 54 Marcos Giron of the United States.

 

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