SHERBROOKE, March 12, 2017

Felix Auger-Aliassime from Montreal defeated fellow Canadian Brayden Schnur to advance to the finals at the $25,000 Subaru Sherbrooke Futures presented by Énergie 106,1, held at the Christian Bourque indoor tennis courts of the Rock Forest Recreation Centre in Sherbrooke.

In an all-Canadian semi-final match-up, the 16-year-old and Schnur played a tight first set, each holding serve until Auger-Aliassime was finally able to break his opponent late in the set. The match featured heavy hitting by both players, neither willing to give an inch. After taking the first set, Auger-Aliassime continued his success early in the second, breaking his opponent early. Schnur relied on his strong serve to stay competitive in the match, but was unable to find a way to get a break of his own. Auger-Aliassime, a tournament wildcard, served out the match for a spot in the final, winning in straight sets 6-3, 6-4. The encounter lasted 61 minutes.

After the first semi-final of the day, it was announced that Denis Shapovalov from Richmond Hill was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to illness. “During the night, he [Denis] started to feel uneasy and spent the entire night ill. This morning, he was still suffering from a gastrointestinal issue and we determined that he wouldn’t be able to play,” stated Martin Laurendeau, one of Shapovalov’s coaches.

“He was really looking forward to playing today in Sherbrooke and was hoping to make another finals appearance in back-to-back tournaments. He will take it easy over the course of the next few days and hopes to be able to play at next week’s Drummondville Challenger”.

Due to the withdrawal of Shapovalov, third seeded Frenchman Gleb Sakharov moves on to the final, where he will face Auger-Aliassime. The 28-year-old will be playing in his second consecutive final, having lost to Shapovalov at the Gatineau Futures. The final match of the tournament will be played on Sunday at 1 p.m local time.

Sakharov and Auger-Aliassime will square off for the first time. The Frenchman eyes his 10th title on the ITF Pro Circuit, his second of the season, following his triumph on home soil in Bressuire in January. The Canadian teenager could capture his second title at senior’s level.