Tennis

Auger-Aliassime ousts friend Shapovalov in Madrid, early exit for Kyrgios

Rafael Nadal will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Madrid Open after the rising star beat his friend Denis Shapovalov.

Peter Thompson
06 May, 2019 08:49 IST

Canadian rising star Felix Auger-Aliassime   -  Getty Images

Peter Thompson
06 May, 2019 08:49 IST

Felix Auger-Aliassime will face Rafael Nadal in the second round of the Madrid Open after beating close friend Denis Shapovalov, while Jan-Lennard Struff knocked Nick Kyrgios out on Sunday.

Wildcard Auger-Aliassime came through an all-Canadian encounter 6-2, 7-6 (9-7) to set up a showdown with Nadal, a five-time winner of the tournament in his homeland. 

Teenager Auger-Aliassime levelled up his head-to-head record with his compatriot at 1-1 after breaking three times to secure his 17th win of the season.

Kyrgios made a disappointing start to his clay-court season, losing 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 to German Struff.

Struff will come up against Marin Cilic or Martin Klizan in round two after winning 91 per cent of points on his first serve and fighting back from a break down in the second set.

Support Sportstar

Dear Reader,

Support our journalism — where text and pictures intermingle so seamlessly — and help us scale up your experience as the world changes around us. Your contribution is vital to our brand of uninfluenced, boots-on-the-ground reportage that’s worth your while. Clickbait sensationalism is not for us, but editorial independence is — we owe it to you.

  Dugout videos