ATP Finals: What Felix Auger-Aliassime’s big win means for his and Ben Shelton’s qualifying hopes

Oli Dickson Jefford 12 Nov 2025 4:45 PM

Pictured: Felix Auger-Aliassime and Ben Shelton.

ATP Tour stars Felix Auger-Aliassime and Ben Shelton.

The ATP Finals produced another three-set thriller to kickstart Wednesday’s singles action in Turin, with Felix Auger-Aliassime fighting his way past Ben Shelton in a nailbiting affair.

After losing to Jannik Sinner on Monday night, Auger-Aliassime rallied from a set down to beat Shelton 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-5 and pick up his first win of the tournament, breaking in the final game to seal a crucial victory.

Triumph for the Canadian gives him a fighting chance of progressing out of his group, while Shelton’s hopes are now left hanging by a thin thread; here, we look at what the result means for both men in Turin.

What does victory mean for Auger-Aliassime?

After tasting defeat — and appearing to struggle with a calf problem — in his opening loss to Sinner on Monday, victory could prove crucial for Auger-Aliassime.

The Canadian now has a realistic chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of the year-end championship for the first time, having exited at the round-robin stage on his debut back in 2022.

The best, or at least the most straightforward, circumstance for Auger-Aliassime will come if Sinner beats Alexander Zverev in Wednesday’s night session match in Turin.

That would guarantee Sinner the top spot, and then ensure a straight shootout between the Canadian and Zverev for second position in the group.

If Zverev were to beat Sinner tonight, things would be a little more complicated, with all four men still looking to qualify for the semi-final stage.

Tennis News

ATP Finals rocked by tragedy as two people die at season-ending event in Turin

What Alexander Zverev needs to seal key ATP Rankings boost at ATP Finals

A win versus Zverev would likely be enough in this hypothetical scenario, though it could come down to sets won and games won between himself, the German, and Sinner — if the Italian beats Shelton to also finish on six points.

What does defeat mean for Shelton?

Shelton had his chances against Auger-Aliassime today, but, after an opening defeat to Alexander Zverev, is now 0-2 on his ATP Finals debut.

And, his hopes of potentially sealing a semi-final spot could be dashed sooner rather than later.

The American will officially be unable to qualify if Sinner beats Zverev tonight, a result that would see the Italian seal top spot and pit Auger-Aliassime against Zverev in a battle for second spot.

Shelton’s only slight hope of qualifying is if Zverev were to beat Sinner tonight, though he would need some big swings to go this way.

He would likely need to beat Sinner in straight sets on Friday — having lost 17 straight sets, and seven straight matches, versus the Italian — and hope Zverev comfortably beats Auger-Aliassime.