The crucial stroke: Felix Auger-Aliassime’s secret weapon for Madrid Open
Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images Felix Auger-Aliassime is aiming to capture his first ATP Masters 1000 title at this year’s Madrid Open, where he came close to the same feat two years ago. He reached the final of that tournament, only to fall short against Andrey Rublev. This time around, he’s already improved on that performance, advancing past the early stages in this season’s event.
The Canadian took a bye through the first round and then defeated Vilius Gaubas in straight sets to move into the third round. Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images Felix Auger-Aliassime opens up about Madrid Open conditions When asked by the Tennis Channel about competing at Madrid’s high altitude, Auger-Aliassime responded: “I think if you serve well, it’s very effective. “Obviously, forehand as well, you know, like Casper last year, obviously heavy forehand, it’s going to jump even more, and so you have to play with topspin.
“If you play flat, you know, it might fly on you a little bit, so you have to be careful with that. But with the serve. I know Sascha Zverev is playing right now and he loves the conditions here.
” The Canadian will face Ben Shelton in his next match in Madrid as he looks to build on his impressive start to the 2026 campaign. Auger-Aliassime has already picked up two ATP Tour titles this year following wins at the Rotterdam Open and Mexican Open. Felix Auger-Aliassime’s third-round opponent at the Madrid Open Auger-Aliassime will face 21-year-old Alexander Blockx in the third round of the Madrid Open.
Blockx, who finished runner-up at the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals, has battled back from a set down in both of his matches in Madrid so far. The Belgian came through three-set wins against Cristian Garin and 28th seed Brandon Nakashima to reach this stage, equalling his best showing at a Masters event after matching this round in Monte-Carlo earlier in April. This will be the first meeting between Auger-Aliassime and Blockx on the ATP Tour, with a spot in the fourth round on the line.