European Open: Auger-Aliassime advances to final against Lehecka
Felix Auger-Aliassime won against Raphael Collignon 7-6 (2), 6-4 on Saturday evening and will face Czech Jiri Lehecka, the No 3 seed, for the title
Félix Auger-Aliassime, 2025 | © Chryslène Caillaud / Panoramic
Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime reached the final of the European Open in Brussels on Saturday evening, defeating home favorite Raphael Collignon 7-6 (2), 6-4 in a composed, two-hour semifinal marked by big serves and cool temperament under pressure.
The second seed, ranked No. 13, will meet Czech Jiri Lehecka, the world No. 17 and third seed, in Sunday’s championship match after Lehecka overcame France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 7-6 (3), 7-6 (7) earlier in the day.
Auger-Aliassime’s Path to the Final
Auger-Aliassime, seeking his third title of 2025 after Adelaide in January and Montpellier in February, maintained control with 8 aces and conceded no break point against Collignon.
“I had a great opponent in front of me and he was inspired by playing at home,” he said. “It was really fun to play, high intensity. It was a pleasure to be part of that match and of this week”.
The Canadian now stands at 40 tour-level wins this season and ninth in the Live Race To Turin with 3,070 points – closing in on the year-end Finals threshold. He reaches this 40 total for the second time in career after 60 in 2022 and become the fourth man to reach 4 finals this year after Alcaraz (10), Sinner (7) and Bublik (4).
Collignon’s Breakthrough Week
For Collignon, the 22-year-old Belgian wildcard, the semifinal marked a breakout performance on home soil. Ranked No. 90, he upset No. 4 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, No. 8 seed Zizou Bergs and Argentine Francisco Comesana en route to the last four.
Though unable to sustain the upset run, his backhand held up admirably in baseline exchanges, and he created chances with crisp returns. “I gave everything I had, but Felix was too solid. Playing this deep in Brussels was already a dream,” he said in his post-match remarks, quoted by Belgian media.
Lehecka’s Commanding Semi-Final
Earlier on Saturday, Lehecka advanced with a straight-sets win over Mpetshi Perricard, prevailing 7-6 (3), 7-6 (7) in one hour and 52 minutes. The Czech fired 11 aces (against 19), produced 38 winners, and never faced a break point. He extended his 2025 win tally to 41, joining an elite group that includes Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
“It was all about patience today,” Lehecka said. “Giovanni served huge, but I stayed calm and focused. Every point mattered on this surface”. The match featured ferocious serve exchanges: Perricard hit 19 aces and 14 unreturned serves but faltered at key moments.
Lehecka, last year’s finalist in Antwerp, was rock-solid behind his first serve, winning 88 percent of points, and converting both mini-breaks in each tiebreak to reach his third final of the year after titles in Brisbane and a runner-up finish at Queen’s.
