Felix Auger Aliassime and Hurbert Hurkacz Save Five Championship Points to Triumph at Rolex Paris Masters 2020 Finals

Felix Auger Aliassime and Hurbert Hurkacz stunned the second seed pairing of Bruno Soares and Mate Pavic to win the Rolex Paris Masters final. The 20-year old Felix Auger Aliassime won his first ATP title. Felix and Hurkacz saved five championship points in the second set to keep them in the hunt for the title. The scorecard read- 6-7, 7-6, 10-2.

Felix Auger Aliassime and Hurbert Hurkacz start the match with a close first set

The match was a tightly contested one from the start. In the first set, both the pairs were having trouble breaking each other’s serve. Both the teams served well and dominated their first serves. But the pairing of Bruno Soares and Mate Pavic were a little more disciplined and clinical with their second service.

Felix and Hurkacz played highly mature tennis using every inch of the court to dominate the rallies. The first set stretched to the tiebreaker where Felix and Hurkacz dropped their concentration for a minute which saw Soares and Pavic take a 3-0 lead. It was clear at this point that Soares and Pavic were targeting Felix and Hurkacz’s second serve. Soares and Pavic then won the tiebreaker to win the opening set 7-6.

Felix and Hurkacz save five championship points in the second set

In the second set, it looked like Felix and Hurkacz would be the victims of inexperience. But they held on. A veteran like Bruno Soares was using his experience in full effect to break Felix’s serve but it all went in vain. The second set as well went to the tiebreaker. But before the tiebreaker, Soares and Pavic dominated the set. On serve, they had lost just four points and were yet to face a breakpoint in the match. Felix and Hurkacz were solid. They even saved one championship point at 6-5.

Then came the tiebreaker. The tiebreaker was even, Soares and Pavic had a mini-break and initially had three more championship points while leading at 6-3. But Felix and Hurkacz saved all these three championship points. They further saved an additional one and then went on to seal the tiebreaker and level the match 6-7, 7-6.

Felix and Hurkacz dominate the decider

The tide had changed by now. Soares and Pavic lost their service edge. In the final set decider, they won just one point on serve and it seemed that they mentally had lost the match. The decider lasted just 10 minutes and Felix and Hurkacz won the third set 10-2 and won the doubles title in Paris.