Tonight’s second semifinal at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin features a very interesting clash between World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and an in-form Felix Auger-Aliassime. A spot in the prestigious year-end final is on the line, and this might be a closer match than most fans think.
Alcaraz has cruised through the round-robin stage, securing the year-end No. 1 ranking along the way. He topped the Jimmy Connors Group with a perfect 3-0 record, dropping only one set in a hard-fought win over Taylor Fritz. His famous forehand has slowly been getting better and better as well.
Auger-Aliassime, making his second appearance at the Finals, has enjoyed a sensational turnaround after a tough opening loss. The Canadian secured his place in the semis with impressive back-to-back wins over Ben Shelton and a straight-sets victory against former champion Alexander Zverev. His game is tailor-made for these quick indoor hard courts, seven of his eight career titles have come on this surface.
Head-to-Head
The overall head-to-head stands at 4-3 in favor of Alcaraz, who has won the last four meetings. However… Auger-Aliassime has won both of their previous indoor hard-court encounters.
Predictions and Best Bets
Alcaraz is aiming for his first final at the Turin finals, and he is heave favorite at bookmakers at around 1.20 (-500) to win the match.
Auger-Aliassime looked a bit nervous at times against Zverev and we saw mistakes from both players, overall in the big points he looks solid though. He’s clearly one of the best players on tour when it comes to these indoor surfaces and his serve looks great at the moment. He needs to step up his game here today and we should see a more relaxed Canadian that feels he has nothing to lose.
However, the Spaniard is very hard to break down, his backhand and returns are on a higher level than Auger-Aliassime and he seems to love the big moments.
Best bet: I think Auger-Aliassime will challenge Alcaraz in many games and that he can cover the handicap line at a good odds.
- Auger-Aliassime, game hcp +3.5 at odds 2.10 (+110)
