21 Club: Defending Champion Auger-Aliassime Into 21st Final in Montpellier

By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, February 7, 2026
Photo credit: Julian Finney/Getty

Put a roof over Felix Auger-Aliassime and you’ll see a champion with a very high ceiling.

Defending champion Auger-Aliassime slammed his 20th ace out wide on match point dispatching French qualifier Titouan Droguet 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1 to return to the Montpellier final.

It is the 21st career final for Auger-Aliassime, who is second to none indoors this decade.

The top-seeded Canadian leads all ATP players in indoor wins this decade (88), collecting seven titles beneath the roof.

A dynamic Auger-Aliassime dictated play on serve. Auger-Aliassime served 78 percent, pumped 20 aces against no double faults and denied all three break points he faced in a powerful two hour, 27-minute win.

The victory vaults the 2025 US Open semifinal into tomorrow’s Montpellier final against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.

In today’s opening semifinal clash of lefties, Mannarino withstood 23 aces from Martin Damm, Jr. in a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.

Qualifier Damm had not been broke in the tournament, including scoring wins over seventh-seeded Hubert Hurkacz, Roberto Bautista Agut and Luca Nardi. Today, Mannarino converted both of his break points, denying Damm, Jr. the shot to reach his maiden ATP final 30 years after his dad, Martin Damm, Sr., was a finalist in Seoul.

It is the 16th career final for the 37-year-old Mannarino, who erased three match points defeating another lefty, compatriot Ugo Humbert, in the second round.

Auger-Aliassime, who retired from his Australian Open opener vs. Nuno Borges due to cramping, has split two career meetings with Mannarino. Auger-Aliassime swept Mannarino, 6-0, 6-4 in their most recent meeting at the 2024 Mutua Madrid Masters on clay.

World No. 8 Auger-Aliassime was on course for a straight-sets win today, but Droguet snatched the tiebreaker to force a final set.

Deadlocked at 1-all in the decider, Auger-Aliassime saved two break points, including rocketing an ace wide on the second break point, sparking a stand that saw him crack three aces holding for 2-1.

The hard-fought hold sparked a surge that saw Auger-Aliassime win the final five games in a row to return to the final.

Last year, Auger-Aliassime edged American Aleksandar Kovacevic in the Montpellier final. Auger-Aliassime, who beat three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in his opener, will face a French opponent for the third consecutive match.