Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal, Quebec is in his first ATP Masters 1000 Series Final. On Friday, he reached the final in Madrid after Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic pulled out because of a back injury in the men’s semifinal. At the time of Lehecka’s ailment, the match was tied at three games apiece.
This was one of three times during the tournament that Auger-Aliassime advanced because his opponent withdrew. In the third round, Jakub Mensik withdrew because of a right elbow injury. At the time, Auger-Aliassime was leading 6-1, 1-0. The game Auger-Aliassime won in the second set was a break of serve. Then, Auger-Aliassime got a free pass to the semifinals when Jannik Sinner of Italy withdrew from the quarterfinal match because of a right hip injury.
Auger-Aliassime will now face Andrey Rublev of Russia, the seventh seed, in the final on Sunday. Head-to-head, Auger-Aliassime has only beaten Rublev once in five opportunities. Auger-Aliassime’s lone win came in the semifinals of Rotterdam in 2022. Auger-Aliassime won 6-7, 6-4, 6-2. Auger-Aliassime went on to win Rotterdam for his first ATP title. In the final, Auger-Aliassime beat Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, 6-4, 6-2. This will be the second time ever that Auger-Aliassime has played Rublev on clay. The first time was the second round of the Croatia Open, which Rublev won 6-4, 6-7, 6-3.
