DOHA — Felix Auger-Aliassime from Montreal has smoothly sailed into the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open tennis tournament after his second-round rival, Hamad Medjedovic, had to withdraw due to a right leg injury.
Next up for Auger-Aliassime is a thrilling showdown against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, scheduled for Thursday.
Medjedovic made headlines by clinching a nail-biting upset over sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round, finishing with a score of 7-6 (6), 5-7, 7-6 (5). Despite his impressive performance, he visibly struggled through the tension of the third-set tiebreak.
In his first-round clash, Auger-Aliassime also had to rely on a decisive third-set tiebreak, ultimately triumphing over French qualifier Quentin Halys with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2).
Currently ranked sixth in the ATP Tour, Medvedev possesses a dominant 7-1 head-to-head advantage against Auger-Aliassime. However, the Canadian star claimed victory in their most recent encounter during the round of 16 at the 2024 Paris Olympics, despite Medvedev having bested him in the semifinals of the Qatar Open in 2023.
Ranked 23rd in the world, Auger-Aliassime is on the hunt for his third ATP Tour title of the season, eager to elevate his game in this prestigious tournament.
