Felix Auger-Aliassime defeat two-time champion Alexander Zverev to set up a Nitto ATP semi-final clash with Carlos Alcaraz

Felix Auger-Aliassime upset two-time champion Alexander Zverev to book a semi-final showdown with Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals.

The Canadian won a straight shoot-out to join Jannik Sinner in progressing from Bjorn Borg Group as he downed the German 6-4 7-6(4) in two hours and seven minutes.

It also saw the world number eight chalk up his 50th win of the year and become just the second man from his country to reach the last four of the event after Milos Raonic in 2016.

There was little between the two in a low-key 51-minute opener with Auger-Aliassime saving a break point in the fifth and ninth games respectively.

It paved the way for the world number eight to pull off a steal at 5-4, hammering away a brilliant crosscourt forehand winner to make the breakthrough on a fourth set point.

Both players had opportunities to break early in the second stanza with Zverev looking rather flat.

Auger-Aliassime took a while to take advantage but eventually pulled clear in the tie-break to take it 7-4 and book a showdown with the Year-End No.1 Alcaraz.

Jannik Sinner v Alex de Minaur

Carlos Alcaraz v Felix Auger-Aliassime

Zverev hits the front with a massive serve to lead 4-3 but Felix explodes into a plus-one forehand and then hammers away a smash to move 5-4 up.

The Canadian then claws back a scorching serve and turns the rally around with a blockbuster forehand.

It’s two match points for the world number eight ...

And he only needs one as Zverev jabs long to lose the breaker 7-4 and with it the match!

FAA steers away a lovely crosscourt forehand winner to open and unloads off that wing again to earn a mini break via a forced error long.

Zverev clatters down a wide serve to get on the board and then pockets the donation of another loose backhand long from his opponent to level at 2-2.

The Canadian resets with a clever body serve but Sascha levels at the change of ends when the world number eight slices weakly into the net.

Zverev turns down a volley and rushes an awkward forecourt backhand well wide.

The German is under the cosh but FAA scoops an awful forehand long to let him off the hook.

It’s been a match littered with poor unforced errors and Zverev adds another to his collection with a shaky forehand that clips the tape and flies wide.

The world number three fires an ace down the T to make Pulp (30-30) and Felix eases some of the pressure with a woeful backhand long.

Zverev then books a spot in the breaker with a rasping crosscourt winner.

Felix earns himself the minimum of a breaker with some powerhouse serving to hold to 15.

Can Zverev make it a reality?

It’s déjà vu as Zverev drags another wild forehand way off the island – it’s not even close!

The serve comes to the rescue again and he executes a wonderful backhand volley before drilling a backhand just wide up the line.

It moves FAA to within two points of the win, but he balloons a routine forehand after getting back into the point with a miraculous return.

Zverev accepts the let off and ties the set again with the help of that trusty serve.

Felix fires a mid-court plus-one forehand tamely into the net but conjures up a brutal first serve and then an ace to turn the game around.

The world number eight follows that with a service winner and shrugs off a near miss on a forehand missile to apply the scoreboard squeeze with a game to 30 courtesy of another ace down the T.

Zverev nets a tame backhand and then sizzles a wild forehand off the court when it looked like a routine strike for a player of his calibre.

A forehand plus-one gets him back into it and an ace down the T takes him to Pulp (30-30).

Another huge serve tees up a smash and he pulls level again when FAA tries to change the angle on a forehand and buries it into the net.

Felix doesn’t dwell on what was clearly a big opportunity to break a fragile Zverev and races into a 40-0 lead.

The Canadian is then caught out by two hefty strikes from the German and when he loops a backhand long he is pegged to deuce.

It’s back to basics from there as a whopping first serve steadies the ship and he gives Zverev too much to do with a thumping, deep forehand that finally seals a game he will feel he should have bagged a moment or two earlier.

Felix outlasts Sascha in an absorbing 26-shot rally to fizz away a crosscourt backhand and turn the screw at 0-30.

The Canadian then undoes a lot of that good work with two miscues off the forehand that fly off the island.

If that was bad, it’s even worse at the other end of the net as Zverev flashes a smash way long to cough up another break point.

It’s there for the world number eight but he can’t find the height on a backhand pass and it burrows into the net.

There's a face-off at deuce where Zverev continues to go through the motions with some horrible misses at the net to prolong the game further.

The umpire then hands the world number three a time violation for taking too long over his serve, but FAA helps him out with a poor forehand into the net.

It's a hard watch at times but in the end Sascha puts away a volley at the net to somehow claim a hold.

It’s all very loose from Felix as he fails to find the island in the opening two points.

A much-needed first serve reduces the arrears but Zverev zaps a clean backhand winner down the line tee up two break points.

FAA retorts with an ace and a massive first serve down the T that doesn’t come back.

Zverev nets a tame second serve return and the world number eight fires his way out of dodge with a crisp forehand winner.

Felix lines up a backhand pass down the line and offers a ‘sorry, not sorry’ wave of the hand as it licks the tape and bypasses Zverev at the net.

The Canadian is in charge of the next rally but drills one long off that wing before Zverev is his own worst enemy with a poor backhand into the net and a double fault.

A timely ace fends off one break point and the German is delighted to see his opponent blaze off the island with a crosscourt forehand on the second.

It’s a touch loose from FAA when his opponent is clearly scared of playing with risk and after he fires a backhand long, Zverev escapes with the hold via a smash.

There’s a lot of frustration simmering in Zverev right now.

The German fires a backhand long and then another into the net as he barely makes any impact.

The frown and irritated gestures towards his camp say much about his mood, but Felix stays focused on himself, slapping down an ace to notch up another love hold.

It’s back to basics with a hold to 15 for Sascha as the first serves land again in the absence of that scoreboard pressure.

Zverev returns to court after disappearing for a comfort break to no doubt clear his head after that late collapse.

It doesn’t suggest there’s any immediate reset as FAA canters through a clean hold to kick off Set 2.

Felix has been the one who has had to deal with small smatterings of pressure in this set – until now.

The Canadian deploys some clever backhand slice to upset his opponent’s rhythm and after flashing a forehand winner up the line he earns triple set point when Zverev lashes a backhand long.

The world number eight misses a forehand by a whisker on the first and can do little on the second as the German conjures up a second serve ace.

Felix has a big opening on the third but drags an inside-in forehand into the net to allow Sascha to reach the sanctuary of deuce.

He’s in control of the next point but makes a complete mess of a volley to gift FAA fourth chance, which he takes with a crushing forehand winner!

It all goes a bit pear-shaped from 30-0 up as Felix twice nets forehands and then fires long off a serve and volley.

The Canadian responds to the break point with a clutch serve and then adds an ace and a plus-one forehand that forces the error to wriggle out of dodge.

Felix slices tamely into the net after probing in a keenly-contested exchange at 30-15 down.

He needs to make more of those half chances against an opponent with such a high first-serve percentage.

The German doesn’t waste much time after that and chalks up the game to 15 to level at four apiece.

Felix’s game is built upon that plus-one forehand but the first serve does plenty of damage too.

Zverev hits back from 40-0 down to press at 40-30 with a bazooka of a backhand down the line, but the Canadian keeps his nose in front heading into the business end of the set when the German blinks first in a backhand-to-backhand exchange.

Shall we fast forward to a breaker now?

Zverev does all of the heavy-lifting with a trio of powerhouse first serves before a dead net cord off a backhand down the line concludes a love hold in fortuitous fashion.