King of the sudden death: Auger-Aliassime dethrones Ruud at Bastide UTS Nîmes
The Canadian swept all three of his matches via sudden death in Nîmes, capped off by a gritty victory over defending champion Casper Ruud.
Felix Auger-Aliassime – Bastide UTS Nîmes 2026 © UTS
Back in 2020, during his UTS debut amidst the very different backdrop of the pandemic, Felix Auger-Aliassime reached the final but fell just short. Six years later, inside a sold-out Arènes de Nîmes (13,000 spectators), “The Gentle Warrior” finally hoisted the Zeus trophy, snatching it away from the defending champ, Casper Ruud.
Auger-Aliassime’s path to glory was a tightrope walk. He survived three consecutive sudden deaths—the UTS tie-breaker triggered at two quarters apiece, where the first player to win two back-to-back points takes the match. He edged out Grigor Dimitrov in the quarters, Andrey Rublev in the semis, and ultimately Ruud in the grand finale.
“I’ve grown used to high-pressure situations throughout my career, whether I’m playing for a tournament final or representing my country,” a jubilant Auger-Aliassime told Jenny Drummond and Max Whittle courtside. He certainly backed those words up on the clay.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing, however. The Canadian nearly let the final slip away in the third quarter, squandering a comfortable 14-10 lead to lose on a deciding point at 14-14. Yet, the former world No. 5 refused to crumble, showing immense poise to win a high-octane final that stood out as the match of the weekend. Beyond the tennis, he fully embraced the “showman” role, feeding off the crowd’s energy and even breaking out a few dance moves to celebrate.
Bublik Brings the SHOW
The day’s first semi-final saw Casper Ruud face off against Alexander Bublik. The Kazakhstani had reached the final four by the skin of his teeth the night before, saving three match points in a sudden-death thriller against Ugo Humbert. However, his resistance lasted only a quarter against the Norwegian clay-court specialist.
True to form, “The Bublik Enemy” went down swinging—or rather, entertaining. Trailing 20-4 in the final quarter, he famously handed his racket to a ball boy to play match point in his stead. Classic Bublik.
In the other semi-final, a visibly frustrated Andrey Rublev let three match points slip through his fingers before falling to the future champion. Despite the loss, “Rublo” is now tied with Casper Ruud for the most match wins in UTS history (19).
In the classification matches, Karen Khachanov and Stefanos Tsitsipas earned consolation victories over Grigor Dimitrov and Ugo Humbert, respectively. With the Nîmes chapter closed, the UTS tour now heads to Brazil for the Rio de Janeiro leg, scheduled for July 16-18.
