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Felix Auger-Aliassime cleared an early test of his resolve as he scripted a fine comeback to book a second-round spot at the Madrid Open on Thursday.
The Canadian rallied past Yoshihito Nishioka 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 for a spot in the second round. Nishioka has one of the most unique game styles on the ATP Tour. The Japanese frequently hits looping, spinning balls with his lefty forehand, but Auger-Aliassime overcame the World No. 78 with a stunning performance in the second and third sets of their first-round match. "It was a tough match. He's always tricky, he makes you work. He defends really well. Even though he's small, he's quick and crafty, so he gets some good angles on the court as well. I knew it was going to be a tough match. It's always very physical," Auger-Aliassime said as quoted by ATP. "I think my heartbeat, if we could see on the screen, it was pretty high up during that match at many times. But I was serving really well, and I think that kept me in the match. Especially in the first set I had chances, and I believed that as the match went on I would have chances to break his serve, which I did. So really happy with my overall performance today," he added. Auger-Aliassime, who is 9-2 in the opening rounds this year, will face 19th seed Adrian Mannarino in Madrid, where he reached the quarter-finals in 2022. "In the second and third set I was winning my service games quite comfortably, so that was good. I was giving myself chances on return. I think what changed is I was hitting a little bit deeper, a little bit harder than in the first set. I think I had the right ideas but was just not executing well. I was sharper and more precise in my angles as well, opening the court," Auger-Aliassime said. Italian fans were overjoyed on Thursday afternoon at the Caja Magica, as Lorenzo Sonego, Matteo Arnaldi, and Flavio Cobolli all won their opening matches in Madrid. Sonego defeated Richard Gasquet, who was playing in his 1000th tour-level match, 6-2, 7-5, to meet his countryman and close friend Jannik Sinner. Arnaldi, who advanced to the third round as a qualifier in Madrid last year, easily defeated Christopher O'Connell 6-4, 6-1. The World No. 36 will face third seed Daniil Medvedev, while Cobolli will face 22nd seed Nicolas Jarry in the second round after downing Alejandro Tabilo 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. (ANI)
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