MONTPELLIER/WASHINGTON, February 8, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)

Felix Auger-Aliassme has been the most-successful player on the ATP Tour this decade when it comes to winning matches and titles on indoor hard courts. On Sunday afternoon, throughout the duration of the one-hour, 35-minute title match, he everyone showed why.

The World No. 8 Auger-Aliassime successfully defended his ATP 250 Open Occitanie title with his 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory over unseeded and 70th-ranked Adrian Mannarino of France – and he did so without facing any break points. 

The 25-year-old Auger-Aliassime native becomes the second player after Richard Gasquet in 2015-16 to win back-to-back titles in Montpellier. Also, Auger-Aliassime is the first player on the ATP Tour to retain a 2025 title this season, and with his victory over the 37-year-old Mannarino, he will rise to No. 6 on the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday.

The Canadian No. 1 leads all players in indoor wins this decade (89), including winning the Montpellier title last year. He’s won his ninth ATP Tour title – eight of them indoors – passing Milos Raonic for most titles among Canadians in the Open Era. Auger-Aliassime is now 14-1 versus Frenchmen since the start of the 2025 season.

A 9th ATP Tour title for Felix Auger-Aliassime! #OpenOccitanie26 pic.twitter.com/36lhAm0k7V

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 8, 2026

With a vocal crowd filling 6,700-seat Sud de France Arena to its capacity, Auger-Aliassime broke Mannarino at love to begin the championship final and won the first eight points overall to build an early 2-0 lead. Mannarino finally got on the board in his second service game and held serve with the second of his four aces. However, by the end of the 34-minute set, Auger-Aliassime’s break in the opening game held up and the first set was his to savor 6-3.

In the second set, both players held steady and tough, and each maintained their composure. Unlike in the opener, this time there was very little separating the two competitors. In the ninth game, Mannarino fell behind 15-30, needing to hold his serve in order to remain in the match. Soon, Auger-Aliassime set up a championship point through shear athleticism. He calmly won an entertaining back-and-forth, side-to-side 12-shot rally with a backhanded volley winner from near the net.

Felix takes control

The Canadian takes the opener 6-3 and is one set away from retaining his title #OpenOccitanie26 pic.twitter.com/R8Pl8zGwQT

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 8, 2026

However, Mannarino saved it and gained deuce after Auger-Aliassime blasted a second-shot return long. He would go on to hold serve after hitting a cross-court forehand winner to pull even at 5-all. Indeed, the Frenchman had held his nerve and the crowd erupted in support of him. Next, it was on to a tiebreaker, and for Mannarino, it was win or go home.

At 6-4, Auger-Aliassime gained another championship point – his second one of the title match – after surviving a patient, back-and-forth 21-shot rally. This time, though, Auger-Aliassime made the most of it. He garnered one last eight-shot skirmish with a forehand winner that Mannarino wasn’t able to get his racquet on. By the end, the Montpellier champion had won five consecutive points and he had successfully defended his title.

BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPION

Felix Auger-Aliassime defeats Adrian Mannarino to become the second man to defend his Open Occitanie title after Richard Gasquet in 2015-16#OpenOccitanie26 pic.twitter.com/pqppegI4Pm

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 8, 2026

“Adrian is always a very tough opponent to play, I think, for all players,” Auger-Aliassime said during an on-court interview before receiving his champion’s trophy, a bespoke mosaic symbolic of winning one of France’s most prestigious indoor events. “That’s why myself and all our peers on Tour have so much respect for him and his career and the challenges he poses on the court. 

“I knew it was going to be a tough match today, so I’m very happy. It’s amazing emotions to win again here. I’m thrilled with my whole week and especially today.”

By the conclusion of the match, Auger-Aliassime had amassed 34 winners – including 13 aces – and won 87 percent (39 of 45) of his first-serve points. He converted two of his three break-point opportunities, faced no break points from Mannarino and outpointed him 68-53.

FAAbulous title defence ✅@OpenOccitanie | #OpenOccitanie26 | @felixtennis pic.twitter.com/IoUusPDBlC

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 8, 2026

Auger-Aliassime, who strung together four quality wins this week to improve to 5-2 on the young season, after defeating Stan Wawrinka, Arthur Fils, Titouan Droguet and Mannarino, will head to Rotterdam as the No. 2 seed of the ABN AMRO Open. He’s recovered nicely since having to retire from his first-round match at the Australian Open last month due to cramping.

Although he’s not French, Auger-Aliassime articulates the language fluently after growing up in French-speaking Montreal, Que., Canada. In accepting his second Montpellier champion’s trophy, he acknowledged that the fans made him feel very much at home all week. 

Looking back for Mannarino, what a difference a week can make in a professional tennis player’s life. He began the week in southern France trying to overcome an eight-match losing streak that dated back to last October of last year and strung together a five-match winning streak – including saving three match points against fellow Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the second round – before losing to Auger-Aliassime in the title match. 

Vintage @AdrianMannarino wizardry ‍♂️@OpenOccitanie | #OpenOccitanie26 pic.twitter.com/UAULw6uvFi

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 8, 2026

Although Mannarino was denied winning his first ATP Tour title since 2023 in Sofia, his ranking will soar from No. 70 to at least No. 51 next week. All in all, it was a pretty good week on his home soil for the native of Soisy-sous-Montmorency.

“Thank you for coming today and for supporting me,” a smiling Mannarino said in French, translated into English by tournament announcer Marc Maury. “Thank you for your support all week. It helped a lot, but Felix was too strong for me today. I offer him my congratulations.”

Arribage and Olivetti are fifth all-French team to win Montpellier doubles title

No. 4 seeds Theo Arribage and Albano Olivetti have become the fifth all-French team to win the Montpellier doubles title. Arribage and Olivetti defeated third seeds Constantin Frantzen of Germany and Robin Haase of the Netherlands, 7-6 (6), 6-1, in one hour and 18 minutes on Court Patrice Dominguez Sunday afternoon.

Arribage and Olivetti combined to hit eight aces and won all but three points (32 of 35, 91 percent) on their first serve. They saved both break points they faced and broke their opponents twice in 10 tries. Arribage and Olivetti outpointed Frantzen and Haase 70-48. It was their third career victory over the German/Dutch pair.

Home heroes

Arribage/@albano_olivetti rule Montpellier 7-6(6), 6-1 over Frantzen/Haase@OpenOccitanie | #OpenOccitanie26 pic.twitter.com/xJmQXAf97R

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 8, 2026

Haase had previously won the 2023 and 2025 Montpellier doubles titles, each with different partners, while Olivetti was a runner-up in 2023 and 2024.

The title was the third at tour-level for Arribage, 25, and Olivetti, 34, who debuted as a team last September, and the second this season after winning at Auckland last month. Arribage has now won four career tour-level crowns and Olivetti has claimed five.

Arribage and Olivetti, ranked sixth in the PIF ATP Doubles Teams Rankings, are the first players to win multiple doubles titles this season. The French duo improved their tour-level win-loss record to 14-4 (10-2 this season), while Frantzen and Haase dropped to 16-10 (5-4 in 2026).

By the numbers

Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jannik Sinner are far and above the most successful indoor players on the ATP Tour this decade. Since 2020, Auger-Aliassime has accumulated 89 indoor victories and eight titles – include twice at Montpellier in 2025-26 – while Sinner has 83 indoor wins and 10 titles – including 2023 at Montpellier.

“Quotable …”

“Every opponent is different and I hadn’t played a lefty in a long time. On the return, it’s a very different challenge. We all know that, so it was not easy at times and I was struggling. I think my goal was just to keep my serve. At least I gave myself a chance to stay in the match and stay in the [second] set. I’m happy how I took care of things on my serve, for sure.”

– Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, during an on-court interview in describing his opponent, Adrian Mannarino, after winning his second-straight Open Occitanie singles title.