The BNP Paribas Fortis European Open reached its quarterfinal stage today, delivering a series of competitive and high-quality matches at Brussels Expo. The day brought both surprises and standout performances, as home favourite Raphaël Collignon (ATP-90) made history by advancing to his first-ever ATP semifinal with an impressive victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ATP-26). Top seed Lorenzo Musetti (ATP-8) was eliminated by French fifth seed Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (ATP-37), while former champion Félix Auger-Aliassime (ATP-13) and last year’s finalist Jiri Lehecka (ATP-17) confirmed their form with solid wins against Eliot Spizzirri (ATP-111) and Benjamin Bonzi (ATP-53) respectively. Bonzi, who was forced to retire with an injury, will also withdraw from Saturday’s doubles semifinal.
All eyes were on Raphaël Collignon (ATP-90) as the Belgian crowd favourite stepped onto court for his first ATP quarterfinal. Facing fourth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ATP-26), Collignon had the opportunity to become only the third Belgian to reach the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open, following David Goffin (2016) and Ruben Bemelmans (2017).
In a packed Brussels Expo, the atmosphere was electric. The crowd roared with every winner from the young Belgian, who began the match with confidence and composure behind a strong serve. Davidovich Fokina resisted well, forcing a tiebreak, but Collignon raced to a 5–2 lead and, despite a brief comeback from the Spaniard, sealed the opening set with a big serve and a brilliant backhand winner.
Propelled by a passionate home crowd, Collignon continued his momentum in the second set. The 22-year-old quickly surged ahead 5–0 and closed out the match 6–2, falling to the ground in tears as Brussels Expo erupted in celebration. It was a career-defining moment for the Belgian, who not only reaches his first ATP semifinal, but also climbs to No. 73 in the ATP Rankings.
Top seed Musetti falls to Mpetshi Perricard
Top seed and tournament favourite Lorenzo Musetti (ATP-8) returned to the court following his win on Thursday but fell to French fifth seed Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (ATP-37) in straight sets. Despite leading 4–0 in their previous head-to-head meetings, Musetti was broken in the opening game and never regained control. Mpetshi Perricard’s dominant serve, clocking speeds of up to 233 km/h, left the Italian few opportunities to respond. The Frenchman took the first set 4–6 with authority.
The second set followed a similar pattern, with Mpetshi Perricard maintaining his power and composure. Musetti saved a match point with a stunning passing shot in the tiebreak, but two double faults at key moments handed the match to his opponent 6–7 (8). With this win, Mpetshi Perricard reaches the fifth ATP semifinal of his career and will face Jiri Lehecka for a place in the final.
Lehecka back in the final four
Last year’s finalist Jiri Lehecka (ATP-17) also booked his place in the semifinals after a strong performance against Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi (ATP-53). Bonzi, chasing a fourth consecutive victory over a Top 20 player, claimed the opening set in a tight tiebreak 7–6 (8). Lehecka responded decisively, taking the second set 6–1 before Bonzi was forced to retire early in the decider due to injury. The Czech advances to the 11th semifinal of his career and remains in contention for a second consecutive final in Brussels.
Jiri Lehecka (ATP-17): “I made a few mistakes in the first set, but I’m happy with my response. I knew I had to raise my level, and my confidence grew as the match went on. I haven’t had much time to see Brussels yet, just the Atomium, but I hope to explore more after the tournament.”
Auger-Aliassime secures his place in the semifinals
Former 2022 champion Félix Auger-Aliassime (ATP-13) also advanced to the final four after a well-earned victory over American Eliot Spizzirri (ATP-111), who was competing in his first ATP quarterfinal. Auger-Aliassime dominated early, taking the first set 2–6 and breaking serve quickly in the second. Spizzirri fought back to force a tiebreak, but the Canadian remained calm under pressure, sealing the win with a superb lob 6–7 (8).
The victory marks Auger-Aliassime’s ninth semifinal of 2025, placing him second on the ATP Tour this season behind world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz (ATP-1).
Félix Auger-Aliassime (ATP-13): “It was a perfect start, I felt I had control of the match. But credit to my opponent, who raised his level and made it a real battle. It was tough for both of us, but I think the crowd really enjoyed it.”
Doubles finalists confirmed
In doubles action, the American pair Harrison and King advanced to Sunday’s final after a close super tiebreak win against Brazilians Matos and Melo, who had defeated Belgians Blockx and Colson the previous day.
They will meet Nys and Roger-Vasselin in the final.
The French player Benjamin Bonzi has been forced to withdraw from the tournament due to an injury. As a result, there will be no doubles matches tomorrow at Brussels Expo.
We would like to inform you that the Fan Zone will still be open from 13:30.
Semifinals set for Saturday
The semifinals of the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open will take place on Saturday at Brussels Expo.
At 15:30, Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard will face Jiri Lehecka, followed by the clash between Félix Auger-Aliassime and Belgium’s rising star Raphaël Collignon.
About Tennium
Tennium is a global platform with diverse business activities, specializing in tennis. The company’s mission is to bring together different segments of the tennis world, integrating multiple business models within a single network.
Tennium’s activities include organizing tennis tournaments, managing licenses, player management, corporate events, and consultancy.
Headquartered in Barcelona, with offices in Argentina, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, and Dubai, Tennium was founded by Belgian Kristoff Puelinckx and former French tennis player Sébastien Grosjean. Tennium organizes some of the largest tennis tournaments in the world, including the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup 2024, the Hamburg Open and Barcelona Open (both ATP 500), and the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open (ATP 250). In addition, Tennium is active on the WTA Tour, with events in Europe and South America, such as the WTA 125 Valencia International Open and the Argentina Open.
For more information, please visit: tennium.com
About BNP Paribas and Tennis
BNP Paribas shares its love of tennis with enthusiasts through a historic commitment that began in 1973 and applies to all levels of tennis worldwide, from tennis clubs to tournaments featuring the greatest players. BNP Paribas is notably the official sponsor of Roland-Garros since 1973, and also sponsors three ATP Masters 1000 tournaments (BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Rolex Monte Carlo Masters, and Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome), as well as the Open 13 Provence in Marseille, the Open de Moselle in Metz, the BNP Paribas Nordic Open in Stockholm (ATP250), and the Internationaux de Strasbourg (WTA500), along with numerous other wheelchair and secondary professional circuit tournaments.
The diversity of BNP Paribas’ commitments testifies to the group’s passion for tennis, a story that has been constantly strengthened for over 50 years.
BNP Paribas accompanies over 160 young tennis and handi-tennis hopefuls in building their careers, as part of its “Team BNP Paribas Young Talents” program in France (under the patronage of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in association with the FFT), in the United States (with John and Patrick McEnroe), in Belgium (under the patronage of Justine Henin), as well as in Italy, Poland, Canada, Japan, and Portugal.
BNP Paribas is the creator and accelerator of social projects related to tennis, alongside over 20 national tennis federations and dozens of charitable associations.
Beyond supporting players, BNP Paribas created the We Are Tennis platform in 2011 to allow fans to live their passion more intensely. This media, which today brings together over 2 million fans worldwide, enables a genuine connection with this community.
