It took six match points, but the Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime finally got the job done.
The 25-year-old from Montreal defeated China’s Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the first round of the men’s singles at the Dubai Championships on Monday.
Auger-Aliassime missed two match points at 5-4 on the return and three at 6-5 in the second set. Serving at 6-5, Auger-Aliassime led 30-0 and then 40-15 before the match went to deuce several times, with Zhang eventually winning the match.
In the tiebreak, Auger-Aliassime won two of the last three points after taking a 5-3 lead to seal the victory.
“I stopped counting at some point; it became too frustrating,” Auger-Aliassime said of the missed match points. “Having match points is the position you want to be in as a player, but it’s strange how the mind plays tricks on you.
“How much further away am I from losing than him? He should be the one tight. But I said to myself, ‘If there’s a third set, I’ll be there.'”
Auger-Aliassime, the tournament’s best player, fired 11 aces to three double faults and broke on two of his 11 chances. He also won 78 percent of first-grind points.
Zhang had 10 aces to just one double fault and won 71 percent of first serve points. However, he failed to convert on all four of his break point opportunities.
Auger-Aliassime, ranked number 8 in the world, reached the final last year before falling to Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The Canadian has won nine of his past 10 matches, lifting the trophy in Montpellier before finishing second in Rotterdam.
Auger-Aliassime will next face French qualifier Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
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