Félix Auger-Aliassime, the twenty sixth seed within the Masters 1000 event in Rome, has formally withdrawn from the occasion simply earlier than his scheduled match in opposition to Thiago Seyboth Wild on Saturday, Might 10, 2025. The Canadian tennis star, who has been struggling on clay this season, cited decrease again discomfort as the explanation for his withdrawal, as reported by journalist José Morgado.
This unlucky flip of occasions comes at a time when Auger-Aliassime has not managed to safe a victory on clay this 12 months, marking a worrying five-match shedding streak. His latest performances have seen him exit early in tournaments at Monte-Carlo, Munich, Madrid, and Estoril, all within the first spherical. The 24-year-old from Montreal has confronted robust competitors, shedding to gamers ranked outdoors the highest 50, which has raised considerations about his kind.
In Auger-Aliassime’s absence, Hugo Dellien, at the moment ranked 103rd on the planet, has stepped in as a fortunate loser and can now face Wild within the Spherical of 64. Dellien has a aggressive historical past in opposition to Wild, having gained their solely earlier encounter at an ATP occasion on clay in Cordoba final 12 months. The 2 gamers have confronted one another eight occasions in Challenger tournaments, splitting their encounters evenly with 4 wins apiece. Nevertheless, Dellien has been on a profitable streak in opposition to Wild, having taken the final three matches in opposition to him.
The match between Dellien and Wild is about to happen after the match between Elina Svitolina and Hailey Baptiste on the Pietrangeli court docket. The winner of this matchup will probably face a formidable opponent in both Alex de Minaur, who’s at the moment ranked eighth on the planet, or Italian wildcard Luca Nardi, ranked ninety fifth.
As for Auger-Aliassime, if he recovers from his again points in time, he’s anticipated to compete within the ATP 500 occasion in Hamburg that follows the Rome event. This might be a vital alternative for him to interrupt his shedding streak and regain his confidence on the court docket.
In different information from the event, the fourth day of the boys’s occasion has been marked by notable performances and shocking outcomes. Taylor Fritz, the 4th seed and a powerful contender, confronted an sudden exit in his first match in opposition to fellow American Marcos Giron, ranked forty fifth. The match resulted in a good two-set battle, with Giron profitable 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3).
In the meantime, Hubert Hurkacz, ranked thirty first, superior by defeating Pedro Martinez (forty ninth) with a rating of 6-1, 7-5. The day additionally noticed the return of world primary Jannik Sinner, who was again in motion after serving a three-month suspension. Sinner’s return was extremely anticipated, and followers are desperate to see how he performs within the event.
In a shocking twist, Andrey Rublev, ranked seventeenth, was eradicated by Hungarian participant Fabian Marozsan, who’s at the moment ranked 61st. The match concluded with a rating of 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in favor of Marozsan, who will subsequent face both Matteo Gigante (164th) or Jakub Mensik (twenty first), the latter having lately achieved a big upset by profitable the Masters 1000 in Miami.
On a extra predictable be aware, Casper Ruud, ranked seventh, secured his place within the subsequent spherical after a hard-fought match in opposition to Alexander Bublik (76th), profitable 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Ruud, who lately triumphed on the Masters 1000 in Madrid, will subsequent face Matteo Berrettini (thirtieth), who additionally superior after defeating Jacob Fearnley (57th) with a rating of 6-4, 7-6 (7/0).
The event continues to unfold with excessive stakes and intense competitors, as gamers vie for essential factors and status on the ATP tour. Followers are eagerly watching to see if Auger-Aliassime could make a comeback in Hamburg and if Dellien can capitalize on this sudden alternative in Rome.
