The Madrid Open is the first Masters 1000 final for Felix Auger-Aliassime after Jiri Lehecka retired from a back injury in the middle of the first set of their semifinal clash today. In what had to be one of the weirdest weeks of tennis for a player, three out of the four matches he has been involved in in the tournament, his opponent either didn’t start or couldn’t finish.
After the match, when asked about the impact the walkovers and retirements had had on his psyche going into the final, he said:
“I don’t know, but obviously for me it’s kind of a weird rhythm, not having played that much, but ending in the finals. But look, I can just focus on the first week of tennis I had… had a great match with Casper and that’s it… so yeah, not much else to say, but just to prepare for Sunday.”
Jiri Lehecka Succumbs To Deja Vu Injury
Not the way we wanted to see this semi-final go 😔
Jiri Lehecka has to retire in the first set, sending Felix Auger-Aliassime through to his first Masters 1000 final 🇨🇦#MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/txggAw8wmC
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 3, 2024
Jiri Lehecka had overcome Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinal of the Madrid Open when the world number 4 had retired due to an injury. He had been taken off the court after the fifth game of the first set for treatment by the trainer. However, the Russian had been able to soldier on for the rest of the set before retiring.
In a similar fashion, Lehecka’s physical struggles started showing in the middle of the sixth game after Auger-Aliassime hit an ace to lead 40-0 in the game. After another ace to end the game, Lehecka called for the physio. He was visibly limping before and while he left the court with the physio.
After returning, he served to lead the seventh game of the set 30-0 but fell to the court, face buried in the sand in pain while trying to catch a Felix forehand. That was the end of his match.
The world number 31 left the court to applause from the crowd.
Felix Auger-Aliassime’s Madrid Open So Far
Felix Auger-Aliassime started his Madrid Open against Yoshihito Nishioka in a closely matched first-round encounter. After dropping the first set 4-6 to the Japanese, the Canadian recovered to blow past his opponent in the next two sets 6-1, 6-4.
The Canadian then outclassed his next opponent, French professional, Adrian Mannarino, in two easy sets, 6-0, 6-4, to advance to the third round of the tournament. His third round clash of the Madrid Open on Monday ended in a walkover after Czech opponent Jakub Mensik retired.
Auger-Aliassime took the first set 6-1 in 35 minutes. After the Canadian broke Mensik in the first game of the second set, the 18-year-old Czech professional retired. He had been nursing a right elbow injury since the second round of the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships.
Next, Auger-Aliassime defeated world number 6 Casper Ruud in straight sets to reach the quarterfinal. His opponent in the quarterfinal was to be world number 2, Jannik Sinner. Before the game, Sinner announced he would be withdrawing from the Madrid Open tournament due to injury. This moved Auger-Aliassime into the semifinals.
Madrid Open Final: Rublev Vs Auger-Aliassime
After beating Taylor Fritz to reach his second final of the year, Andrey Rublev will contest with world number 35, Felix Auger-Aliassime, for his first Madrid Open title. It would be the sixth meeting between the two with Rublev leading 4-1, the second meeting between them this year, and the first Masters 1000 meeting between them.
Looking forward to the final on Sunday, when asked about Andrey Rublev, who will be the Canadian’s final 2024 Madrid Open opponent, he showed great respect for him.
“We’ve always had three set battles. Even back in 2018 when I was much younger. It’s always entertaining matches. It’s always a tough battle with him. I had a close one with him in Rotterdam this year when I had some match points, so hopefully it can go my way this time. And yeah, he’s always a player that fights hard… that’s why we see him again in a big final like this.”
Also Read: Elite Andrey Rublev Performance In 6th ATP Masters 1000 Clash With Californian
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