On Monday, Australian qualifier Alexei Popyrin defeated world number six Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets to start his season, while Yoshihito Nishioka eliminated Holger Rune in the opening round of the ATP 250 Adelaide International 1.
In the second half of the 2022 season, Auger-Aliassime had success, winning tournaments in Florence, Antwerp, and Basel as well as guiding Canada to the Davis Cup victory. However, Auger-Aliassime fell short of those standards in a 6-4, 7-6(5) loss to Popyrin.
Another Adelaide upset!
Popyrin finishes off Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-6 to score his third career top 10 win.#AdelaideTennis pic.twitter.com/Y2ZYzdxACZ
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 2, 2023
The 23-year-old Australian defeated his second-seeded rival with 11 aces to secure the biggest win of his career. Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas, his previous two opponents in the top 10, were defeated by retirements.
Fabulous Felix 🔥@felixtennis | #AdelaideTennis pic.twitter.com/6WOpguqEC2
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 2, 2023
“I had a really strong performance. I was strong on my backhand and used my forehand when necessary while serving well. It was due to the arduous work I put in with my team throughout the off-season, according to Popyrin. “I’m just really appreciative of this victory.
It is there (with the other big wins). It feels terrific to win the opening match after a challenging season the previous year and shows that the effort is paying off.
The American Marcos Giron, who on Sunday defeated French seasoned veteran Richard Gasquet in his opening round, is the next opponent for the world number 120.
Rune of Denmark, who won three championships in 2022, including the Paris Masters, when the 19-year-old defeated Novak Djokovic in the championship match, fell to Nishioka 2-6 6-4 6-4.
Next, the American Mackenzie McDonald encounters the Japanese player.
Miomir Kecmanovic defeated Australian Christopher O’Connell 6-4 6-4, and if third-seeded Daniil Medvedev defeats Italian Lorenzo Sonego on Tuesday, the two might face off in the second round.
Djokovic, Denis Shapovalov, Jannik Sinner, Andy Murray, and Karen Khachanov are also in play on the second day of the competition.
