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World no. 19 Felix Auger-Aliassime reached his 14th ATP final in Basel. In a battle of two young guns, Felix took down the top seed Holger Rune 6-3, 6-2 in an hour and 22 minutes, dominating on serve and return and remaining on the title course.
Auger-Aliassime barely survived against Alexander Shevchenko in the quarter-final, saving energy and outplaying Rune in every department. The Dane played his first tournament under his new coach, Boris Becker, enjoying his best run after Wimbledon but finding no answer for the Canadian.
Holger served at 81% but drew nothing from that. He dropped 46% of the points in his games, facing seven break points and getting broken three times. Felix dominated with his first serve, denying two break points and sailing over the top with a rock-solid performance.
The Canadian hit 17 winners and nine unforced errors, landing 20 service winners and overpowering the Dane in the shortest range up to four strokes.
Felix Auger-Aliassime will play in his 14th ATP final in Basel.
Rune netted a forehand in the encounter's second game, losing serve and pushing Auger-Aliassime in front.
Felix closed the third game with a forehand winner after deuce, cementing his advantage and settling into a fine rhythm. Holger got his name on the scoreboard in the fourth game before Felix opened a 4-1 gap with a forehand down the line winner in the next one.
The Canadian served well in game seven and moved 5-2 in front with a booming serve. Rune prolonged the set with a hold at 30 in game eight before Auger-Aliassime wrapped it up with a service winner a few minutes later, leading 6-3 after 37 minutes.
The Canadian broke again at the beginning of the second set after the Dane's double fault. Felix held at love in game two and created more return chances in the next one. Holger denied three break points and held, reducing the deficit to 2-1.
Auger-Aliassime fired a forehand down the line winner in game four, creating a 3-1 gap and moving closer to the finish line. The Canadian landed another forehand in the sixth game for a 4-2 lead, keeping the pressure on the other side.
Rune struggled on serve again in the seventh game, netting a routine backhand and falling 5-2 behind. Felix served for the victory in game eight and faced two break points for the first time. The Canadian denied them and sealed the deal with a service winner that pushed him into the title clash.