Auger-Aliassime advances to Round 2 in Dubai after tightly contested opening match

Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime pulled out a 7-6 (7), 6-7 (4), 6-3 win over Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik in opening-round action on Tuesday at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The Montreal native had eight aces to five double faults and won 77 per cent of his first-serve points. He broke on three of his 17 opportunities in the two-hour 49-minute match.

Bublik had 16 aces to seven double faults in the contest and won 66 per cent of his first-serve points. He broke on just one of his seven chances.

After a tightly contested opening two sets, Auger-Aliassime found his mark down 2-1 in the third set.

The 24-year-old broke Bublik in the fifth and the ninth games to wrap up the victory winning five of the final six games of the final set.

Auger-Aliassime will next face Portugal's Nuno Borges, who defeated France's Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-1 to advance.

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