Felix Auger-Aliassime continues to really feel proper at dwelling on indoor laborious courts, even distant from his native Montreal.
The 2022 champion and World No. 6, who leads all gamers in indoor wins this decade (91), stretched his profitable streak to 6 and reached his fourth profession Rotterdam quarterfinal (2020, 2022–23, 2026) with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic.
The 25-year-old, who efficiently defended his title at Montpellier final week, gained 36 of 60 baseline factors and captured seven of 9 factors on the internet as he improved to 7-2 on the season. He’ll face Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor subsequent.
Auger-Aliassime has been damaged solely as soon as throughout his six-match profitable streak, and he saved the one break level he confronted in opposition to Medjedovic on Thursday.
“He hits big,” Auger-Aliassime mentioned of the Serbian. “All in all, it was an ideal efficiency to get out of this match in straight units—I felt like he was the higher participant at instances within the second set.”
Auger-Aliassime managed a break in every set, together with one at 4-4 within the second the place he rallied from 40-0 down to interrupt for 5-4. He gained 9 of the ultimate 11 factors to place the match to mattress in 90 minutes.
Elsewhere on a busy Thursday in Rotterdam, top-seeded Alex de Minaur pushed previous 40-year-old Stan Wawrinka, 6-4, 6-2, whereas Botic van de Zandschulp topped Stefanos Tsitsipas, 6-4, 7-6(4).
Former champion Wawrinka performed his final match in Rotterdam.
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“He’s a legend; he’s an icon,” De Minaur mentioned. “What he has been in a position to obtain on the court docket within the Massive 3/Massive 4 period was nothing wanting unbelievable. To have the ability to hit these guys off the court docket the way in which he did was really magical to observe as a fan of the game.
“Not solely is he a legend on the court docket, he’s additionally a legend off the court docket. I’ve had numerous coaching periods with him once I was youthful and he handled me with nothing however probably the most respect—he’s an unbelievable human being.”
With the win, De Minaur joins Roger Federer because the second participant to succeed in 5 consecutive quarterfinals in Rotterdam.
Van de Zandschulp and De Minaur will meet within the quarterfinals on Friday.
Jaume Munar battled previous fifth-seeded Karen Khachanov, 7-6(8), 3-6, 6-3.
