Felix Auger-Aliassime winning in quick order is my best bet for his match against Quentin Halys at the Qatar Open.
The pregame narrative: Auger-Aliassime aims to continue his string of positive results in Doha. He profiles as a significant favourite against Halys. I'm betting on Auger-Aliassime to blow by Halys in straight sets.
Check out my Halys vs. Auger-Aliassime Qatar Open best bet for the match on Feb. 18.
Halys vs. Auger-Aliassime Qatar Open best bet
Go to full Halys vs. Auger-Aliassime betting markets.
Best Bet: Auger-Aliassime -1.5 sets (-127)
It's fair to say that Auger-Aliassime is back.
The Canadian tennis star struggled through injuries and consistency issues the last couple of years but seems to have regained his form. Auger-Aliassime has already won at Montpelier and Adelaide this year and sports an impressive 10-3 record on the surface.
FAA has beaten some top competitors along the way, too, ousting both Sebastian Korda and Tommy Paul in Adelaide.
Halys enters as the ATP's No. 79 competitor, but he's having a rough go in 2025. He has an underwhelming 3-4 record and had to battle through two rounds of qualifiers to advance to the standard field for the Qatar Open.
The Frenchman's serve is dialled in ahead of this matchup as he's totalled 21 aces to just three double faults in qualifiers.
But it's important to remember that Auger-Aliassime represents a significantly tougher challenge as a returner. Halys battled Stan Wawrinka and Mubarak Shannan Zayid, and neither is an especially fluid returner.
Auger-Aliassime, meanwhile, ranks 33rd in return rating (138.5), per ATPTour.com.
The Canadian has been very good at neutralizing first serves. Over the past 52 weeks, he ranks 13th 13th in first serve return points percentage (30.6%).
He also has an impressive serve in his own right, ranking 19th with an average of 8.8 aces per match across the last 52 weeks.
Bet on Auger-Aliassime to blow past Halys and earn a convincing win in Doha.
Key stat: Three of Auger-Aliassime's last four wins have been via straight sets.
Picks made at 12:54 p.m. ET on 02/17/2025.
