Madrid Open: Felix Auger-Aliassime Bags Unwanted Record to His Name After Making It to Finals in a Bizarre Way

The Madrid Open just witnessed a tennis anomaly! Felix Auger-Aliassime rocketed into the finals, but not in the way you’d expect. Forget epic rallies and clutch victories – a string of bizarre circumstances paved his way. Will this unique path fuel his confidence or leave him under-prepared for the ultimate showdown against Andrey Rublev?

The semifinal match saw Auger-Aliassime earning a walkover victory as his opponent, Jiri Leheck, who retired mid-match due to a back injury. And with this, the former made a strange record: “Since 1990, Felix Auger-Aliassime has been the first player to progress via retirement or walkover in three rounds at a single ATP Masters 1000 event. The last with two en route to a Masters 1000 final was Denis Shapovalov – Paris 2019.”

As per records, back in 2019, Denis Shapovalov advanced to the finals of the Paris Masters by experiencing two walkovers. One in the first set of his first round and the other in a semifinal match against Rafael Nadal. Shapovalov’s walkover victory put him at a career high No. 15. But Félix Auger-Aliassime’s situation is more grim, as he faced three walkovers.

Even during quarterfinal match against Jannik Sinner , Auger-Aliassime’s luck was in his favor. The World No. 2 withdrew from the Madrid Open due to a hip injury. Moreover, in his round of 32 against the Czech tennis player, Jakub Mensik, the same story unfolded. After winning the first set of the match, Mensik had to retire due to a right elbow injury.

With this strange record of winning matches in the tournament, Felix Auger-Aliassme is ready to set foot into the finals with only 500 ‘free’ points to his name. But before Felix tries his luck against Rublev, he addressed this strange occurrence and gave his insights on the subject.

Felix Auger-Aliassime spoke on his “crazy” ride to the final of the Madrid Open

After Felix Auger-Aliassime experienced his opponent’s mid-match retirement for the third time, his victory seemed a little strange to him. Although this is the first time that he has qualified for the finals of the Madrid Open, he could not be entirely happy. Apart from expressing his helplessness in the last match, owing to Lehecka’s injury, he also spoke about the matter after his semifinal victory.

“It’s crazy. I don’t know if it’s ever happened to a player before. It’s kind of a weird situation to be in on my part. I mean, it’s never happened to me in my career so far. Like a withdrawal or walkover or retirement of this sort and back-to-back like this,” said the 23-year-old Canadian.

Trending

Roger Federer Turns Teary Eyed Over Wife Mirka Breaking 15-Year Long Silence for His Upcoming Documentary

Italian Open: Aryna Sabalenka Channels Her Inner Model as She Sports Chic Outfit Inspired by the Streets of Rome

Italian Open: Nicolas Jarry’s Wife Laura Conveys Million-Dollar Worth of Emotions in Single Moment as Husband Scripts History

Taylor Fritz’s Girlfriend Morgan Riddle Floored by Her Favourite Roger Federer’s Voice as She Lands in Geneva for ATP Event

Coco Gauff’s Coach’s Call for a Serious Action Backfires After Fans Use the Occasion to Criticize American’s Shortcomings

However, keeping all this behind, he is now preparing to face Andrey Rublev in the final. And it will be interesting to watch whether his luck continues to be the same. But one thing is certain. This year’s Madrid Open will not only be remembered for players’ extraordinary performances but also for this unusual streak of injuries on-court.