Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime reached his first Masters final

Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime reached his first ATP Masters final, and he didn't have to play much tennis to do it.

Auger-Aliassime advanced to the final of the Madrid Open on Friday after semi-final opponent Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic withdrew due to injury in a 3-3 draw in the first set.

Lehechka left the court to undergo physical therapy due to back pain. He tried to continue the game, but then had the three points removed.

“I feel very sorry for him,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I've been injured myself, and we can only imagine what it's like to not be able to play on a night like this, hoping to win, fighting your opponent. I have a lot. Sympathy for Jiri, I can't do anything but prepare for Sunday.”

Auger-Aliassime didn't even take the court in the quarterfinals when his opponent, top seed Yannick Sinner, pulled out of the tournament with a hip injury.

The 23-year-old Canadian took a runaway lead in the third round when Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic retired from that match. Auger-Aliassime took a 6-1, 1-0 lead.

“It's crazy. I don't know if that's happened to players before,” Auger-Aliassime said. “It's a weird situation on my part. It's never happened in my career, like quitting, walking or retiring like that and back-to-back.”

Auger-Aliassime looked good when he played for Madrid. He beat fifth-seeded Kasper Ruud of Norway 6-4, 7-5 in the fourth round and easily defeated 19th-ranked Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-0, 6-4 in the second round.

Auger-Aliassime will face seventh-seeded Andrei Rublev of Russia in Sunday's final. Rublev defeated American Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3 on Friday.

Rublev is 4-1 in his career against Auger-Aliassime, including their only clay match at the 2018 Croatian Open.

This Canadian Press report was first published on May 3, 2024.