The ATP Montpellier final is set to crown its champion. On Saturday, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Adrian Mannarino advanced to the final and will face off for the title at the prestigious French indoor tournament. The top seed and defending champion, Auger-Aliassime, reaffirmed his dominance on indoor hard courts by defeating local qualifier Titouan Droguet 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1 in his ATP Tour semifinal debut. The world number eight reached his 21st tour-level final and his 13th on indoor surfaces, where he has won seven of his eight career titles. With this victory, Auger-Aliassime increased his indoor wins to 88 this decade, solidifying his status as the player with the most victories under these conditions. He will also be defending an ATP title for the second time in his career, a feat he last achieved with back-to-back titles in Rotterdam (2022 and 2023). “I served and returned better when I needed to the most,” he explained after the match. In the other semifinal, Mannarino once again demonstrated his prowess on indoor courts and his continued relevance at 37 years old. The Frenchman will be looking to lift another ATP Tour trophy, having last won in Sofia in 2023. The final will once again pit Auger-Aliassime against Mannarino, with their head-to-head tied at 1-1. Damm, playing in his first tour semifinal, hit 23 aces and pushed the experienced Frenchman to his limits. Mannarino's run in Montpellier was marked by resilience: in the second round, he saved three match points against Ugo Humbert and built momentum from there to secure his place in the final. Montpellier is set for a high-level final between two indoor tennis specialists. The Frenchman rallied in a fluctuating match against American Martin Damm, winning 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the 16th ATP final of his career. “I felt that my chance was going to come, even in the second set,” he said. The Canadian anticipated a hostile but stimulating atmosphere: “I love to play like this, with the crowd against me. It's much better than playing with no people”.
