Auger-Aliassime eliminated from Indian Wells in second round

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime was bounced from the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday.

The ninth-ranked Auger-Aliassime was upset 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 3-6 by Botic van De Zandschulp of the Netherlands in the second round.

The match lasted three hours 15 minutes.

The 21-year-old from Montreal was on the brink of defeat multiple times in the encounter. He fought off four match points — three in the second set and one in the third.

But van De Zandschulp, ranked 47th in the world, made him pay on the fifth match point, coming to the net and volleying a backhand out of the Canadian's reach.

Auger-Aliassime made 59 unforced errors, eight double faults and eight aces in the match.

He failed to join fellow Canadians Leylah Annie Fernandez and Denis Shapovalov in the third round at Indian Wells.

After winning the second-set tiebreak, Auger-Aliassime lost serve to kick off the third set and he played catch-up throughout, failing to break his opponent back.

In the marathon second set, the Canadian managed to force a tiebreak despite losing serve in the 10th game and facing three match points in the 12th.

Equally long was the first set, which lasted one hour 13 minutes and also went to a tiebreak. The tournament's ninth seed lost serve in the third game, broke the Dutch player back in the sixth before dropping a tightly contested tiebreak.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2022.