Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime was pushed to the limit before narrowly defeating Germany’s Maximilian Marterer 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), and 7-6 (3) in the first round of the Bavarian International Tennis Championships on Tuesday in Munich.
Auger-Aliassime, firing 11 aces, overcame the unseeded Marterer in a marathon match that lasted three hours and 25 minutes on the clay court.
It was the first-ever career matchup between the two players.
Auger-Aliassime, ranked 34th in the world, now holds a record of 10-9 this season, following his recent elimination in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters last week. Marterer, ranked 101st in the world, is winless in seven matches in 2024.
WATCH | Auger-Aliassime takes 1st-round marathon match in Munich:
Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime loses in straight sets (6-4,7-5) to Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego, at the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Auger-Aliassime will face Taro Daniel of Japan in the next round of the ATP 250 series tournament. Daniel defeated Australia’s Christopher O’Connell 6-3, 6-4.
Also Tuesday, Denis Shapovalov, of Richmond Hill, Ont., was eliminated from the Tiriac Open in Bucharest, Romania after dropping his first-round match 6-4, 6-2 to France’s Corentin Moutet.
WATCH | Shapovalov defeated by Frenchman Moutet in Romania:
Canada’s Denis Shapovalov loses in straight sets (6-4,6-2) to France’s Corentin Moutet after leading in each set. Shapovalov was eliminated in the first round of the Tiriac Open in Bucharest, Romania.
Rafael Nadal looked good in a comfortable 6-2, 6-3 win over Flavio Cobolli at the Barcelona Open in his first competitive match in more than three months on Tuesday.
The victory at the center court named after him allowed Nadal to advance to the second round at the clay-court tournament that the Spaniard has won a record 12 times. He will next face Alex de Minaur, who had a first-round bye.
Nadal converted on his second match point to seal the victory over the 21-year-old Italian ranked 62nd in the world.
Nadal was returning from yet another injury layoff and hadn’t played since an exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz in March. The 22-time Grand Slam champion had last played a tournament in Brisbane in January, when he played only three matches before skipping the Australian Open.
Nadal said it will likely be his last time playing the Barcelona Open. The 37-year-old Spaniard had hip surgery last summer and said 2024 will probably be his last year playing on tour.
