For Felix Auger-Aliassime, the clay-court season seems to be a challenging chapter he wishes to close swiftly.
The Canadian, who holds the 18th seed, faced yet another early exit, marking his third consecutive first-round defeat on clay after a tough match against Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo, with a score of 7-6 (5), 6-4 at the Madrid Open.
Ranked 126th globally, Cerundolo arrived at the tournament with a mere 1-4 record in main-draw matches this season.
Auger-Aliassime kicked off his season with triumphs in two smaller tournaments on hard courts, but has struggled to replicate that winning formula on the clay surface.
Joining him in the tournament is fellow Canadian Denis Shapovalov, who is set to compete on Saturday against Japan’s Kei Nishikori.
Meanwhile, Canada’s Bianca Andreescu is gearing up for her second-round match later on Friday, where she’ll face off against No. 10 seed Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan.
The 2019 U.S. Open champion, Andreescu marks her return to WTA 1000 competition this week after a six-month hiatus focused on her well-being.
She made a strong re-entry with a solid victory, defeating American McCartney Kessler in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4, on Wednesday.
–with contributions from The Canadian Press
