Felix Auger-Aliassime Secures First ATP Masters 1000 Final Spot in Madrid as Jiri Lehecka Retires
Canada’s rising star, Felix Auger-Aliassime, achieved a significant milestone by advancing to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final in Madrid.
In the first set of Friday’s second semifinal, the Czech and the Canadian were even at 3-3 when Lehecka was injured and could not continue.
After playing just six full games, Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada advanced to the greatest final of his career in Madrid when Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic withdrew from their Mutua Madrid Open semifinal on Friday owing to an injury.
The abbreviated semifinal encounter, which concluded with the first set score locked at 3-3, perpetuated an unfavorable trend for Auger-Aliassime’s opponents this past two weeks: No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner withdrew ahead of their scheduled quarterfinal match with a hip ailment, and another Czech, Jakub Mensik, quit due to injury after dropping the first set against him in the third round.
The No. 30 seed was having trouble in the middle of the set when the 22-year-old Lehecka, who had defeated Rafael Nadal in what is likely to be the Spaniard’s final Mutua Madrid Open, left the court for an off-court medical timeout before serving in the seventh game.
It’s absurd. I’m not sure whether this has ever happened to another athlete, Auger-Aliassime remarked. For me, it’s a strange predicament to be in. I have never had a withdrawal, walkover, or retirement of this nature and in such close succession in my professional life. When I noticed that he had his back blocked, I was in shock.”
In his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal, the young player only managed three more points before collapsing to the floor at the 30-0 mark. Auger-Aliassime consoled him with a hug and encouraging words as he approached the net in tears. Lehecka, visibly distraught, smashed his racket at the court’s edge to terminate the match.
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As she ended the game, Auger-Aliassime wrote, “Sorry for you, Jiri,” on the broadcast camera. “You’ll be back.”
“I’m very sorry for him,” the 23-year-old went on. “I understand how it feels to come out on a night like today, expecting to win to move through, having a battle with your opponent, and not being able to play because I’ve had ailments myself. I feel so bad for Jiri, but all I can do is attempt to be ready for Sunday.
Auger-Aliassime, who had struggled with a knee ailment for most of the previous year, advanced to Sunday’s final against Andrey Rublev and will make his way back into the Top 20 in the ATP rankings on Monday. The Canadian, who had a prior record of 0-2 in Masters 1000 semifinals, will enter their second clay-court match against Rublev down a 4-1 deficit. Six years ago was the first one. They have gone to a third and final set in four of their previous five encounters.
