Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced to the quarterfinals of the European Open tennis tournament in Brussels with a hard-fought 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (5) victory over Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Auger-Aliassime, the second seed in the tournament, dominated the match with 22 aces and created 14 break-point opportunities. Despite Dzumhur saving 13 break points and converting both of his chances, Auger-Aliassime had the upper hand.
In a tense third set, Auger-Aliassime missed three match points in the 10th game as Dzumhur fought back to level the set at 5-5. However, Auger-Aliassime rallied to win the deciding tiebreak after trailing 4-3, claiming four of the final five points. The 25-year-old, ranked 13th globally, is set to take on American qualifier Eliot Spizzirri in the quarterfinals of the ATP 250 hardcourt competition.
This match marked the second encounter between Auger-Aliassime and Dzumhur at the ATP Tour level, following their initial clash in 2020 at Montpellier, France, where Auger-Aliassime emerged victorious.