Felix Auger-Aliassime stamped his ticket to the quarter-finals of the Dubai Open Wednesday with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, while Daniil Medvedev put an end to Stanislas Wawrinka's tournament.
Canadian top seed Auger-Aliassime overcame the big-serving Frenchman thanks to an impressive break-point conversion rate as he managed to make the most of three of the five break-points he forced on Mpetshi Perricard's serve.
Consecutive breaks in the seventh and ninth games of the opening set allowed the world number eight to seize the initiative.
Auger-Aliassime pounced again early in the second set to get his nose in front and then managed to serve out to book a meeting with Jiri Lechecka in the last eight.
The Czech eliminated Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 to progress through the round of 16.
“It definitely didn't start the way I wanted,” said the World No 8 Auger-Aliassime, who lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in last year’s final. “Obviously, there's a bit of shade on the court, different feelings, different sensations during the day, but once I got settled in, I felt like I was returning well. I just thought to myself, ‘I'll get my chances’ and I did – I took them and came back brilliantly.”
On dealing with Mpetshi Perricard’s powerful serve, Auger-Aliassime said he was actively trying to drag his opponent around the court. “Obviously, I had a few double faults to start the match, but after I cleaned that up, I was way more efficient from 3-0 down,” he said. “Also just maybe moving him a little bit more; not playing in one spot, because he's so powerful when he's not moving. It's different if he starts moving, so you have got to be smart and adjust tactically to try to find a way to win.”
Auger-Aliassime, who has now reached at least the quarterfinals three times already this year after winning in Montpellier and getting to the final in Rotterdam, will meet Jiri Lahecka next. The Czech, seeded eighth this week, saw off Spanish qualifier Pablo Carreno Busta 7-6 (6), 6-4 to reach his second successive quarterfinal following a straight-sets defeat to Arthur Fils in Doha last week.
In a battle of former Grand Slam winners, Russia's Medvedev beat Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3.
The 40-year-old Swiss will retire at the end of the season and was honoured on-court after his defeat.
‘It's my last time here, but I always had amazing support from you guys,’ 2016 champion Wawrinka told the crowd.
‘It's always special. The reason why I kept playing for so long is because of those emotions that I receive on court, but I think at 40 it's time to play for one last year. I'm enjoying it a lot.’
“Dubai has always been special,” said Wawrinka, who won the 2014 Australian Open, 2015 French Open, and 2016 US Open. “Since I first arrived on tour, Dubai was always a tournament you look for: So many great players, so many amazing champions play here. One of the biggest on the ATP Tour. I had the opportunity to win it in '16, so for me it was amazing to receive a wildcard this year and have the chance to play here this week. It was not the best finish, but Dannil is a tough and great player. I tried, but he was better than me.”
Third seed Medvedev will face Jenson Brooksby in the next round, after the American defeated seventh-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov in straight sets.
“It's amazing to play against him for what might be one last time,” said Medvedev. “But it’s also special because usually you sit and wait for your opponent to make a speech only in the final, so it was cool to see the tournament make this gesture to Stan. It's not his last tournament, but it's his last tournament here, so it's cool to see a legend like Stan being appreciated.”
“It's amazing to play against him for what might be one last time,” said Medvedev. “But it’s also special because usually you sit and wait for your opponent to make a speech only in the final, so it was cool to see the tournament make this gesture to Stan. It's not his last tournament, but it's his last tournament here, so it's cool to see a legend like Stan being appreciated.”
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