Felix Auger-Aliassime failed to lift his first Masters 1000 trophy in Paris. The Canadian faced Jannik Sinner in the final and suffered a tight 6-4, 7-6 defeat in an hour and 52 minutes.
Felix gave everything, following the rival's pace after an early setback but missing a chance to force a decider despite standing two points away from it. However, the Canadian left Paris with 650 ATP points.
Thus, he passed many rivals on the ATP Race and grabbed the final qualifying spot for the ATP Finals in Turin. However, Auger-Aliassime decided to skip next week's ATP 250 event in Metz!
The 25-year-old revealed the decision following the Paris Masters final. Felix admitted he has been feeling physical discomfort and ruled himself out of the indoor event that could have punched his Turin ticket.
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However, Auger-Aliassime remains in the driving seat to earn that last spot. He stands 175 points in front of Lorenzo Musetti, the only player who can crash his ATP Finals dreams.
The Italian experienced an early Paris Masters loss and asked for a wild card in Athens. Musetti will compete in the Greece capital as the second seed behind Novak Djokovic.
Lorenzo needs to win the title to pass Felix and book a place in Turin for the first time. It does not seem likely, but the Italian will do everything to lift a trophy and earn his spot at the home elite event.
Despite a massive prize on the table, Auger-Aliassime did not want to travel to Metz and keep his fate in his hands. Instead, he will follow Musetti's results from Athens and congratulate him if he manages to pass him in the last minute.
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"I will not compete in Metz. It does not show, but I have had physical problems. If I qualify for Turin, all the better; otherwise, bravo to Lorenzo," Felix Auger-Aliassime said.
