Hammer blow for Auger-Aliassime as Challenger bid fails: Extends clay-court losing streak

Felix Auger-Aliassime suffered an early exit at the Challenger 175 Estoril Open, falling in his debut match against qualifier Andrea Pellegrino (No. 237) 7-5, 6-4. The Canadian's clay-court swing continues to falter, with a disappointing 0-5 record since the Monte-Carlo Masters.

The 24-year-old is facing a ranking drop starting Monday, as he was defending 650 points from reaching the Madrid Open final in 2024, and in this edition, he lost quickly in his debut against Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo. Estoril was a good option to maintain match rhythm and lessen the number of points lost this week.

The former world No. 6 had an inconsistent performance against the Italian. In the first set, he squandered a 4-2 lead, and then in the second set, he lost his serve at a crucial moment, allowing Pellegrino to secure the best victory of his career, his first against a top-20 player. In the third round, Pellegrino will face Chilean Nicolas Jarry, another player in need of points this week.

Auger-Aliassime will drop from world No. 19 to No. 27, deepening his crisis of five consecutive defeats. A few months ago, he seemed to be getting his career back on track after winning titles at the Adelaide International and the Open Sud de France, as well as reaching the semifinals at the Doha Open and then the final at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

He still has three challenges ahead in the clay swing. He will face the Rome Open next week, another two-week Masters 1000 event. Once that tournament is over, he will travel to the Hamburg Open in the week leading up to Roland Garros.