Auger-Aliassime through to Madrid fourth round after Mensik retires

MADRID — Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced to the fourth round of the Madrid Open tennis tournament Monday in a walkover after Czech opponent Jakub Mensik retired.

Auger-Aliassime was up 6-1, 1-0 through a brisk 35 minutes when Mensik conceded after being broken on the first game of the second set.

The 23-year-old Canadian won 92 per cent of first-serve points and didn't face break point before Mensik retired. He converted all three of his break point chances.

Auger-Aliassime, ranked 35th in the world, advanced to the round of 16 at a Masters-level event for the first time since Indian Wells in 2023.

The 18-year-old Mensik has had impressive results this season. He upset ninth-seed Grigor Dimitrov on Saturday, and defeated former No. 1 Andy Murray and current No. 8 Andrey Rublev en route to reaching the final in Doha earlier this year.

But after reaching his first ATP final, he retired with a right elbow injury in the second round of his next tournament in Dubai. He said the injury got worse at Indian Wells, where he lost in the second round.

Mensik had tape on his right arm between sets Monday.

Auger-Aliassime will next face fifth-seed Casper Ruud of Norway, who posted a 6-2, 6-4 win over Britain's Cameron Norrie on Monday.

Ruud is 3-1 in four career meetings with Auger-Aliassime. The two haven't faced each other since the 2022 ATP Finals, when Ruud posted a 7-6 (4), 6-4 win in the round robin.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2024.