MONTPELLIER/WASHINGTON, February 7, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)
Regardless of whether 150th-ranked qualifier Titouan Droguet wins or loses his Open Occitanie semifinal round match against defending champion and World No. 8 Felix Auger-Aliassime on Saturday afternoon, he can reflect upon his successful week in Montpellier with great appreciation.
At last, Droguet knows that all of the hard work he’s put in coming up through the ATP Challenger Tour circuit is starting to pay off handsomely.
On Friday night, Droguet blasted 21 aces – the final one on match point – and gave what can be best described as a superb serving performance en route to his upset of No. 4 seed and 29th-ranked Tallon Griekspoor. He defeated the Dutch No. 1, in a pair of tie-break sets, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (1), that lasted one hour and 46 minutes on Court Patrice Dominguez inside Sud de France Arena.
Droguet in dreamland
7-6(5), 7-6(1) over Griekspoor sends @ladrogsJR into a first ever ATP semi-final!@OpenOccitanie | #OpenOccitanie26 pic.twitter.com/frY7ONRn5g
— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 6, 2026
A 24-year-old native of Villeneuve saint Georges, France, Droguet is one of two Frenchmen to reach the last four. In the other semifinal, Adrian Mannarino, ranked No. 70 from Soisy-sous-Montmorency, will face 160th-ranked American qualifier Martin Damm.
Against Griekspoor, Droguet won 85 percent (39 of 46) of his first-serve points and backed it up by winning 64 percent (16 of 25) of his second-serve points. His huge hitting performance translated into 37 winners overall and he did not face any break points from Griekspoor. Droguet outpointed his opponent 82-72.
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The triumph provided Droguet with his second Top-50 victory of his career – following his first one against Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti at the 2023 US Open – and it was his fifth win this week in southern France. He won a couple of qualifying draw matches at the start of the week, then just kept on winning once he was placed in the main draw.
Droguet has scored victories over 125th-ranked Jan Choinski of Great Britain, No. 8 seed Aleksandar Kovacevic of the United States, ranked No. 83, and Griekspoor to advance to his first ATP Tour semifinal after appearing in only his second tour-level quarterfinal following Umag in 2025. Throughout his run to the semifinals, he’s played focused tennis.
After his quarterfinal win over Griekspoor, the 6-foot-3-inch right-handed Droguet said during his on-court interview with Marc Maury: “I’m not used to playing on big courts like this. So I’m trying to not look up there, looking only at the court and my team, to stay focused.”
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Droguet, who turned pro in 2018, achieved a career-high No. 130 in June 2024, after winning his first ATP Challenger title at Francavilla al Mare, Italy without dropping a set. He’s also won one other Challenger title, last year at Royan, France. Between 2023 and last year, he reached seven other ATP Challenger finals.
Now, after his successful week in Montpellier, his PIF ATP Live Ranking has jumped to No. 120, securing a new career-high come Monday. He’s 9-3 in all competitions this season (including 3-2 in Challenger matches). By reaching the semifinal round, Droguet has already guaranteed himself a hefty paycheck of €31,955 and 100 ATP points. Of course, the stakes increase if he should advance to the finals or win the tournament.
First, there is Droguet’s semifinal against Auger-Aliassime, who he shared a practice hit with a year ago. “I know Felix,” he said. “I lost … I know it’s going to be tough. I will try my best. I will try to recover good and take pleasure being on court.”
Magnifique Final Four @OpenOccitanie | #OpenOccitanie26 pic.twitter.com/2FPdKxIZsK
— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 6, 2026
