Félix Auger-Aliassime is through to the second round of the Madrid Open, defeating Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in 2 hours, 20 minutes.
The Montreal native responded from a slow start, firing 11 aces and hitting 32 winners to overcome a strong physical challenge from his opponent.
Nishioka, ranked 78th on the ATP Tour, was the more consistent of the two players early in the encounter. The 28-year-old left-hander broke in the opening service game of the match, aided by a pair of unforced errors from the Canadian. He would keep hold of that early advantage with effective serving, and staved off both break points he faced to grab the opening set 6-4.
The Canadian quickly turned the tide in the second, dictating play with his serve and relying heavily on his forehand wing to gain control from the back of the court.
He built a strong lead, winning five consecutive games, seizing a pair of breaks off the left-hander’s serve; closing with a love hold, the Montreal native won the second set in just 34 minutes.
The margins closed significantly in the third with both players trading holds through the first six games of action. Nishioka found more success extending rallies past nine shots, whereas Auger-Aliassime won the bulk of the shorter exchanges.
The Canadian finally capitalized on his first break opportunity in the seventh game, breaking Nishioka for a crucial 4-3 lead.
The Japanese managed to save one match point at 5-3, but Auger-Aliassime would not be denied, closing out the match to love on his serve.
With the victory, Auger-Aliassime improves his head-to-head against his Japanese opponent to 3-2 and moves to 12-10 on the season overall. He’s also an impressive 9-2 in opening round matches in 2024.
The world number 35, who reached the Madrid quarterfinals in 2022, joins fellow Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the round of 64.
The 23-year-old will face 19th seeded Adrian Mannarino of France on Saturday.
