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Renowned coach and analyst Paul Annacone has applauded Felix Auger-Aliassime's ability to perform well against the best players in the world. The American revealed he was happy to see the Canadian win his maiden ATP title in Rotterdam last week because he is "such a great kid."
Auger-Aliassime defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the Rotterdam Open ATP 500 event on Sunday to win his first tour-level tournament. The World No. 9 had lost in all eight of his previous appearances in ATP finals without winning a set.
Before downing fourth-ranked Tsitsipas in the Rotterdam final, Auger-Aliassime beat defending champion and World No. 7 Andrey Rublev in the semifinals. The 21-year-old also defeated third-ranked Alexander Zverev in the ATP Cup last month, before losing in five sets to second seed and eventual runner-up Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open quarterfinals.
Speaking on Tennis Channel, Annacone expressed his enjoyment at seeing Auger-Aliassime make his title breakthrough in Rotterdam, while praising his recent displays against elite opponents.
"It's always fun when you watch a player like this break through at this level because he's such a great kid," Annacone said. "He ticks every box. He's humble, he works incredibly hard, he does all the right things. And to see all those frustrations in the finals - has to be difficult. One of the things I've loved to watch is how impressive he is against the best players."
The former World No. 12 then referenced the Canadian's impressive victories at the ATP 500 event, as well as his showing in the epic clash with Medvedev in Australia.
"I mean, Rublev has been a nightmare in [ATP] 500 level events and he looked great against Rublev," Annacone continued. "Tsitsipas - one of the most incredibly athletic and talented players out there - he looked great [in the final] today. And let's not forget the heartbreaking loss in Australia. That was a loss to Medvedev - but to play that well after getting shellacked by him in the ATP Cup just about two weeks before - what a great turnaround."
Stefanos Tsitsipas is 0-8 in ATP 500 finals after loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime in Rotterdam
With his defeat to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Rotterdam Open final, Stefanos Tsitsipas now has a 0-8 record in ATP 500 title matches. The Greek - who has won the ATP Finals and the Monte Carlo Masters - holds a 7-11 record in all ATP finals.
During the discussion on Tennis Channel, Paul Annacone addressed the statistic and declared that it is not a concern for Tsitsipas.
"I think it's just an aberration," Annacone said. "Just happens to be 500 level finals. Look, we've seen him in the finals of Majors, we saw him win the ATP Finals, we've seen him win [a] Masters 1000 [event]. So, I think it's just a little blurb on his statistic sheet right now."
