ATP roundup: Felix Auger-Aliassime wins opener in Dubai return

Field Level Media|published: Mon 23rd February, 20:32 2026

Jan 19, 2026; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada in action against Nuno Borges of Portugal in the first round of the men’s singles at the Australian Open at John Cain Arena in Melbourne Park. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images

Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada returned to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and worked to pull out a 6-3, 7-6 (4) opening-round win over China's Zhizhen Zhang on Monday.

Auger-Aliassime was a finalist in 2025 and lost to Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas. On Monday, he saved all four break points he faced but Zhang saved five match points -- two in the 10th game of the second set and three more in the 12th to force the tiebreaker.

Auger-Aliassime's next opponent will be French qualifier Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who edged Tunisian wild card Moez Echargui 7-6 (3), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4). Mpetshi Perricard hit 29 aces in the two-hour, 36-minute marathon.

British No. 4 seed Jack Draper beat French qualifier Quentin Halys 7-6 (8), 6-3, and Swiss wild card Stan Wawrinka beat fellow wild card Benjamin Hassan of Lebanon 7-5, 6-3.

BCI Seguros Chile Open

Germany's Yannick Hanfmann won the first seven games of his first-round match and beat Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 6-0, 6-3 in Santiago, Chile.

Hanfmann had a 22-9 edge in winners and overcame 24 unforced errors in a tidy 74 minutes. No. 7 seed Francisco Comesana, meanwhile, needed two hours and 51 minutes to get past Spaniard Pedro Martinez 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (4). Comesana saved one match point in the third set to stay alive.

Comesana's second-round opponent will be Italian qualifier Andrea Pellegrino, who beat Argentine qualifier Alex Barrena 6-2, 2-6, 6-1. The last match of the day was still going, pitting Chilean Nicolas Jarry against Croatia's Dino Prizmic.

--Field Level Media

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