Auger-Aliassime drops ATP Finals debut opener to Casper Ruud

Felix Auger-Aliassime’s late-season push took him to the next level.

The Montreal native made his ATP Tour Finals debut on Sunday, losing a 7-6(4), 6-4 decision to Norway’s Casper Ruud in Turin, Italy.

Auger-Aliassime blasted his way into the season-ending elite event in Turin, Italy with an impressive 16-game winning streak, winning three of the last four ATP Tour events of the year.

Auger-Aliassime, 22, won titles in Florence, Antwerp and Basel during this run. He also won in Rotterdam earlier in the season.

He earned a personal-best 56 wins this season, rising to a career-high 6th in the world.

Ruud, the world No. 4, improved to 3-1 in one-on-one encounters with Auger-Aliassime. Both players are in a squad with Spaniard Rafael Nadal and American Taylor Fritz.

The Norwegian beat Auger-Aliassime in the round of 16 in Madrid and in the quarterfinals of the National Bank Open in Montreal earlier this season.

Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., is the only other Canadian to qualify for the ATP Tour World Finals, having competed in the event in 2014 and 2016. Raonic lost in the semi-finals in 2016 and lost both matches in 2014.