Felix Auger-Aliassime sets Canadian record with Montpellier repeat

Felix Auger-Aliassime came to Montpellier on top, and is leaving it on top.

The top seed won his second straight crown at the Open Occitanie on Sunday, successfully defending his crown with a 6-3, 7-6(4) win over home hope Adrian Mannarino. But becoming the first player since Richard Gasquet in 2015-16 to go back-to-back wasn't the only milestone secured by the 25-year-old's ninth career title.

He also surpassed Milos Raonic for the most singles titles won by a Canadian man in the Open Era.

After starting his career 0-7 in ATP singles finals, Auger-Aliassime is now 9-12, and eight of those wins have come on indoor hard courts.

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Auger-Aliassime said post-match that both he and his peers on tour respect 37-year-old Mannarino greatly as a competitor, and the Frenchman's fight was evident after he fell behind early. The Canadian won eight straight points to start the match, but neither man had a look at a break point until the 10th game, when Mannarino erased championship point with an unreturned serve.

Auger-Aliassime won five consecutive points from 4-2 down in the tiebreaker to complete a straight-sets win.

"It’s amazing emotions to win again here," Auger-Aliassime said afterwards. "I’m thrilled with my whole week and especially today.”

Auger-Aliassime had an inauspicious start to his 2026 season when he was forced to retire with cramps against Nuno Borges in the first round of the Australian Open. But as a result of his victory in the south of France, he'll return to No. 6 in the ATP rankings, and sit less than 500 points behind Lorenzo Musetti for a return to the Top 5.