The second semifinal at the ATP Montpellier attracted huge attention, as top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime faced home favorite Titouan Droguet, much to the excitement of the French crowd.
Despite strong resistance from Droguet, Felix’s class and composure ultimately prevailed, sending the Canadian into the final.
Missed Chances but Felix Controls the First Set
Felix started the match aggressively, immediately putting pressure on Droguet’s serve. In the opening game, he earned one break point, but failed to convert. He continued attacking and at 1–1, in the third game, Felix had four break points, once again missing all of them.
Droguet managed to hold his serve, but Felix did not relent. Soon after, the Canadian finally broke through, securing the only break of the set to take a 3–2 lead.
From there, Felix held his serve comfortably and closed out the first set 6–4. Although the margin was just one break, Felix clearly dominated the set, controlling rallies and tempo throughout.
Droguet Strikes Back and Levels the Match
In the second set, Droguet raised his level and was the first to threaten a break, earning the only break point of the set, but he failed to convert.
Both players then held serve confidently, sending the set into a tiebreak. This time, Droguet was slightly sharper under pressure and edged the tiebreak 7–5, leveling the match at 1–1 and forcing a deciding third set.
Psychological Collapse Decides the Final Set
The turning point of the match came early in the third set. At 1–1, Droguet had two break points, but once again failed to convert. From that moment on, his confidence visibly dropped.
As so often happens in tennis, the missed chances were punished immediately. Felix broke in the following game, confirmed the break with ease, then broke once more to completely take control.
The deciding set ended emphatically at 6–1 in favor of Auger-Aliassime.
Felix Sets Up Final Clash with Manarino
With this victory, Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced to the final of the ATP Montpellier, ending the dream run of local hero Droguet.
The French crowd had hoped for an all-French final, but will now have to settle for seeing Adrian Manarino represent the home nation in the championship match.
This semifinal result set up a highly anticipated championship match —
👉 Full report from the Montpellier Open final
