MADRID — Montreal’s Félix Auger-Aliassime rallied to defeat Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the first round of the Madrid Open on Thursday.

Auger-Aliassime, ranked 35th in the world, fired 11 aces and won 81 per cent of his first serves in a match that lasted two hours and 19 minutes on the clay surface.

The 23-year-old Canadian improved his career record to 3-2 over the 79th-ranked Nishioka.

Auger-Aliassime will face 19th-seeded Adrian Mannarino of France in the second round.

Mannarino won their only previous encounter in the second round of the Cincinnati Masters in 2023.

In the women’s draw, Leylah Fernandez, of Laval, Quebec, was scheduled to face Russian Anastasia Potapova in a second-round match on Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2024.