Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the European Open tennis tournament with a 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6) loss to Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut on Friday.
Auger-Aliassime fired 19 aces in the match, but struggled to stay consistent after a dominant first set.
Bautista Agut forced three errors from Auger Aliassime, including on the final two points, in the third-set tiebreaker to win the match in two hours 42 minutes.
The Spaniard evened his career record with Auger-Aliassime at 3-3.
Auger-Aliassime, seeded third in Antwerp, was coming off a three-set win over Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics on Wednesday that ended a four-match losing streak on the ATP Tour.
His record this season fell to 31-24.
While the world No. 21 has struggled on tour recently, he was perfect representing Canada in Davis Cup group stage play in September with three singles wins and a doubles victory.
Canada faces Germany in the Davis Cup quarterfinals on Nov. 20 in Malaga, Spain. Auger-Aliassime withdrew from the team competition earlier this month and will be replaced by veteran Milos Raonic.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2024.