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Tennis fans were reminded of Roger Federer while celebrating Felix Auger-Aliassime's Swiss Indoors Basel triumph as the duo share the same birthday.
Auger-Aliassime defeated Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(3), 7-6(5) on Sunday, October 29, in the 2023 Swiss Indoors Basel final. With the win, he ended his year-long title drought on tour; his last tournament win came last year at the same event.
The Canadian dropped only one set throughout his Basel campaign this year (Alexander Shevchenko in the quarterfinals) and registered a significant win over top seed Holger Rune in the semifinals. The 23-year-old was on the verge of dropping out of the Top 20 in the ATP rankings but managed to keep his World No. 19 ranking intact.
A fan on social media expressed delight at Auger-Aliassime's win, writing:
"He's finally back."
Felix Auger-Aliassime went through a flurry of first and second-round exits since making the quarterfinals at the Indian Wells Masters in March. Another fan was elated at seeing the Canadian defend his Basel title.
"A TITLE WINNER AGAIN Felix Auger-Aliassime just went from not being able to win back-to-back matches since *MARCH* to winning (and defending) the Basel title, his first of 2023! INCREDIBLE," the fan wrote.
A third fan pointed out that the Swiss Indoors Basel trophy yet again went to a player born on August 8. Auger-Aliassime shares his birthday with 10-time Swiss Indoors Basel winner Roger Federer.
"Basel has once again been won by a guy born on August 8th. No, Roger Federer is not out of retirement. Yes, Felix Auger-Aliassime has found form from nowhere to defend his title. Great to see," the fan wrote.
Here are a few more fan reactions on X (formerly Twitter):
"I'm a big fan of Felix Auger-Aliassime's game" - Roger Federer
In September this year, Roger Federer showered praise on Felix Auger-Aliassime after spending time with the Canadian in Vancouver ahead of the 2023 Laver Cup.
"I’m a big fan of Felix's game, I always wish him the best. I hope that the Laver Cup can be again a turnaround for him," he said.
Federer and Auger-Aliassime met only once on the ATP tour. The meeting came at the 2021 Halle Open, with the 23-year-old defeating the Swiss maestro in three sets. Despite dropping the first set 6-4, the Canadian stormed back to take the next two sets 6-3, 6-2 and reach the quarterfinals. Auger-Aliassime was eventually ousted in the semifinals by Ugo Humbert.
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