Auger-Aliassime ends Halys' run and reaches the final in Dubai

One year after Ugo Humbert, French tennis might once again have one of its representatives in the ATP 500 tournament final in Dubai.

Coming from the qualifiers, Quentin Halys is playing the semifinal this Friday against Félix Auger-Aliassime in an attempt to reach the biggest final of his career.

The Frenchman, guaranteed to enter the top 60 for the first time in his career after the Emirati tournament, has nothing to lose against the Canadian, who is in great form at the start of this season and has already won 15 matches on the ATP circuit in 2025.

The first set was indecisive. Halys broke first but saw his opponent immediately catch up.

Mentally strong, the Frenchman, who didn’t give up, had several opportunities to close the set, and on his fourth set point, he managed to break Auger-Aliassime's serve to take the lead.

With his back against the wall, Auger-Aliassime used his experience to break in the middle of the second set. A game that allowed him to level the match at one set apiece despite his opponent's resistance.

As in Doha last week, a decisive third set will determine the outcome of the match between the two men.

But, as in Qatar, it is the Canadian who will ultimately have the last word. Very close to a double break several times, Auger-Aliassime, ranked 21st in the world this week, did not lose his composure.

Facing a determined Halys to the end, FAA finally wins the match with a final backhand passing shot (5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in 2h16) and reaches the final, where he will face the winner of the other semifinal between Tallon Griekspoor and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

It is the third time in as many encounters that the Canadian has defeated the Frenchman.

Now guaranteed to return to the top 20 next Monday, Auger-Aliassime, the only player to have won multiple titles this season on the ATP circuit (Adelaide and Montpellier), will try to add a third title in 2025 to his record, which would also be his 8th as a professional.