ANTWERP — 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.
The Canadian Press