What Felix Auger Aliassime’s Basel retirement means for his ATP Finals qualification hopes
Felix Auger Aliassime’s quest for a third Swiss Indoors title came to a disappointing end on Friday, with the Canadian forced to retire due to injury.
Champion in Basel in 2022 and 2023, Auger Aliassime was trailing 6-1 when he retired due to a back injury against Jaume Munar, sending the Spaniard through the last four of the ATP 500 event.
Auger Aliassime’s retirement is a blow to the tournament but also provides a significant dent in his hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals, with the Canadian now set to find himself chasing huge ground if he wants to reach Turin.
Where does Auger Aliassime sit in Race to Turin?
Prior to action across both the Swiss Indoors and the Vienna Open in Austria this week, Auger Aliassime held ninth spot in the ATP Race to Turin — just outside the eight qualifying places.
The Canadian sat on 3,145 points after his run to the European Open title in Brussels last week, and has now moved to 3,245 points after earning 100 points for his Basel quarter-final display.
However, he has not been able to close the gap on either Alex de Minaur or Lorenzo Musetti, the two men who sat seventh and eighth in the race prior to action this week.
De Minaur and Musetti sat on 3,545 and 3,485 points, respectively, in the race heading into this week, and both have reached the last eight of the Vienna Open.
That means both earned 100 points to maintain their lead over Auger Aliassime, moving to 3,645 and 3,585 points ahead of Friday’s quarter-final matches.
Tennis News
Jannik Sinner’s shock Davis Cup decision ‘should be respected’, claims top coach
How Elena Rybakina can improve hopes of WTA Finals glory after sealing impressive qualification
And, de Minaur’s quarter-final win over Matteo Berrettini on Friday puts him up to 3,745 points in the race, meaning a gap of 500 points between him in seventh and Auger Aliassime in ninth.
If Musetti wins his quarter-final on Friday night, he will move to 3,685 points, a gap of 440 points between him and the Canadian.
Auger-Aliassime will need to hope those two don’t move further ahead but also keep an eye on Casper Ruud, who currently sits 11th in the Race to Turin.
With tenth-placed Jack Draper out for the rest of the year, the Norwegian is Auger Aliassime’s main threat from lower down in race.
Ahead of his own Basel Open quarter-final, Ruud holds 2,835 points, but could move to 3,235 points if he wins the title — putting him just 10 points behind the Canadian heading into the Paris Masters.
However, if Ruud is unable to lift the title in Basel, Auger Aliassime will still have a cushion.
Can he still qualify?
Auger Aliassime can still qualify for the ATP Finals, with the Canadian entered into both the Paris Masters and Moselle Open before the year-end championships.
He will need to hope that both de Minaur and Musetti are unable to significantly grow their cushion ahead of him any further, and hope that Ruud does not come storming past from behind.
With 1,000 points available in Paris and 250 on offer in Metz, there are points for the 25-year-old to earn, though he will likely need strong runs in both events.
However, it is possible that ninth place could be good enough to reach the main event in Turin.
Novak Djokovic withdrew from the event in 2024, allowing ninth-placed Andrey Rublev to qualify last season, and the Serb is a doubt once again.
Should Djokovic, who has already qualified, withdraw once again, Auger Aliassime may be in pole position to step in.
ATP Finals Race (as it stands)
7) Alex de Minaur, 3,745 (Vienna Open SF)
8) Lorenzo Musetti, 3,585 (Vienna Open QF)
9) Felix Auger Aliassime, 3,245 (Swiss Indoors QF – OUT)
10) Jack Draper, 2,990 (Out of contention)
11) Casper Ruud, 2,835 (Swiss Indoors QF)
