Felix Auger-Aliassime (35) takes on Jakub Mensik (74) in the third round of the Madrid Open on Monday, 29 April. The 18-year-old Czech tennis sensation has been in great form this year. He defeated the world number 10, Grigor Dimitrov, in his previous match. This victory marked his second Top 10 victory of the season. So, Auger-Aliassime will have to be on his toes all the time in the match against this rapidly rising talent from the Czech Republic.

The 23-year-old Canadian has reached SF of the Open Sud de France and the QF of the Bavarian International this year. But Mensik’s records for this year are much better than the Canadian! He started his season by reaching the finals of the Challenger tournament in Canberra, then yet another SF appearance at the Challenger Manama. But his biggest result in this year came at the Qatar Open, where he reached the finals. Can he create yet another historic moment in his career by going deep into the tournament in Madrid?

Jakub Mensik vs Felix Auger-Aliassime: Preview

Jakub Mensik started his Madrid campaign with a win against Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann. But he got one of the biggest wins of his career in the next match against Dimitrov. He defeated the Bulgarian beast by 6-2,6(4)-7,6-3. Mensik aced his aces against Dimitrov, he hit sixteen aces and committed only five double faults in the entire match. His first serve win percentage was 69% while it got down to 60% on the second serve. However, the Czech tennis star converted four of his seven breakpoints and won fourteen of his service games against Dimitrov.

In 2024, he has been really impressive so far, showcasing some extraordinary tennis against some of the best in the game. He has hit 117 aces and committed 31 double faults this season. Jakub Mensik has won 84% of his service games. He will bank on his big serving abilities to seal the deal against the former number 6 from Canada.

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Felix Auger-Aliassime on the other hand, defeated Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in his first match at the 2024 Madrid Open. But it took him three sets to clinch the victory against the Japanese. However, in his next match, he comfortably defeated France’s Adrian Mannarino by 6-0,6-4 to book his place in the next round of the tournament. Auger-Aliassime hit only three aces and committed an equal number of double faults in that game. However, his first serve win percentage was 83% while it dropped a little to 81% on the second serve.

The Canadian tennis star converted four of his seven breakpoints against the Frenchman and won eight of his service games in that match. His overall record for this has also been quite impressive. Felix Auger-Aliassime hit a total of 160 aces and committed 86 double faults this season. Even he has won about 82% of his service games so far. Both the tennis stars have got some exceptional numbers for the 2024 season, but have they met each other earlier in their careers?

Mensik vs Auger-Aliassime: Head-to-Head

No, they haven’t met each other earlier on the tour. This will be their first meeting in their careers. However, Felix Auger-Aliassime is not new to this venue. He has earlier reached the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open in 2022. But for Jakub Mensik, this will be his first appearance in this tournament. In fact, this tournament is his first clay-court event in 2024. So, the Canadian may have a slight edge looking at this, but Mensik surely has the potential to disrupt all the equations.

Prediction: Felix Auger-Aliassime to win this match in three sets

Looking at Felix Auger-Aliassime’s experience on the tour and his records on this surface he’ll be slightly ahead before heading into this contest. But Jakub Mensik’s form and his record for this season will make this contest more intriguing. Auger-Aliassime has a win-loss record of 11-10 this season compared to 8-4 of Jakub Mensik. The Czech tennis star is known for his all-round game and impressive techniques. The Canadian’s temperament will be put to the test in this match. Maintaining consistency throughout the game will be the key to success for Auger-Aliassime.

Felix Auger-Aliassime will bank on his strong forehand and serve to get the edge in this contest. He has an incredible ability to generate power easily off both wings. While Mensik would look forward to disrupting his opponent’s flow and restrict him from playing to his strengths. Overall, if we look at Felix Auger-Aliassime’s experience on this surface, clearly ‘FA2’ is ahead of ‘Menimal’ in this contest, but not by the biggest of margins!