Big shake up in top 10 of ATP Rankings after Felix Auger-Aliassime cements status as indoor king
Felix Auger-Aliassime cemented his status as one of the masters of indoor tennis on the ATP Tour as he defended his title in Montpellier in impressive fashion with a 6-3, 7-6(4) win against veteran Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the final.
The top seed was in a league of his own as he saw off Mannarino, with his prowess on hard courts cemented as he won his eighth title indoors.
The win propelled Auger-Aliassime up to No 6 in the ATP Rankings and he was in a jubilant mood as he lifted a ninth career title on the ATP Tour, making him the Canadian with the most men’s singles titles in the Open Era, passing recently retired Milos Raonic.
“Adrian is always a very tough opponent to play, for all players, I think,” said Auger-Aliassime, who will leap above Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz when the ATP Rankings are updated on Monday.
“That’s why myself and all our peers on Tour have so much respect for him and the challenge 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.”
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This was an important moment for Auger-Aliassime who was forced to pull out of the Australian Open in his first round match against Portugal’s Nuno Borges led due to cramping issues.
That defeat inspired the Canadian to admit he was confused by the chain of events that unfolded in Melbourne, as he admitted the cramping issues were a surprise.
“I don’t have all the answers now,” he said after the match against Borges. “I’m trying to be very professional at everything I do, prepare well. I love this sport, and I love to play. So I try to do everything I can in my control to get ready.
“Obviously, it hurts even more because if I wasn’t really ready or I wasn’t doing everything, then you have to be honest with yourself. But even with being honest with myself, I’m not totally finding the reasons why this is happening.”
Auger-Aliassime will now look to continue his momentum when he plays in the Rotterham event next week, where he will be the No 2 seed.
Alex de Minaur the top seed for the tournament, while three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka will also play as a wildcard entrant.
Carlos Alcaraz was due to play in the event, but Rotterdam Open tournament director and former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek admitted he was not surprised when he learned of his withdrawal after his Australian Open win.
“When I saw him on Friday and he was cramping against Zverev, I was already like, worried,” said Krajicek.
“Then I had to turn off my phone and found out later what happened. Not only did he win, but he won four games in a row, so I was like, okay, this is going to be difficult.
“If you had lost, you don’t have the emotion of winning that Grand Slam and you have two more days to recover. I thought that would still be a pretty good chance he was going to play [in Rotterdam]. But when he made the final, I thought it would be difficult.
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“So Monday morning, I got the message from his agent and yeah. I was a little bit expecting it, but I wish I was sleeping for one more hour because I didn’t want to see that message!
“But it was not a big surprise. It is unbelievably draining and having the cramps and then still coming back two days later, even though it was a relatively easy final physically compared to the semis and it was only 15 degrees.”
2026 Rotterdam Open entry list in full:
Alex de Minaur [1]
Felix Auger-Aliassime [2]
Alexander Bublik [3]
Daniil Medvedev [4]
Karen Khachanov [5]
Cameron Norrie [6]
Tallon Griekspoor [7]
Arthur Rinderknech [8]
Arthur Fils
Aleksandar Vukic
Stan Wawrinka [WC]
Botic van de Zandschulp
Ugo Humbert
Guy Den Ouden [WC]
Marton Fucsovics
Valentin Royer
Roberto Bautista Agut
Jesper de Jong
Nicolai Budkov Kjaer [WC]
Jaume Munar
Jan-Lennard Struff
Hubert Hurkacz
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
Quentin Halys
Zizou Bergs
Fabian Marozsan
Alexei Popyrin
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