World No.19 tennis star jets to Challenger Tour event after Madrid Open upset

Felix Auger-Aliassime has taken action after suffering a shock defeat in Madrid. The world No. 19 finished as the runner-up at the Caja Magica last year. But it was a different story this time around as he lost his opening match to a qualifier ranked outside of the top 100.

Auger-Aliassime has now dropped down to the Challenger Tour, jetting straight to Portugal to accept a last-minute wildcard into the Estoril Open. The Canadian's ranking is set to take a big hit no matter what, as he was defending 650 points in Madrid.

The Madrid Open seemed to be a turning point for Auger-Aliassime in 2024. A former world No. 6, he had dropped outside of the top 30 and was lacking confidence, but suddenly made a run to his first Masters final, being helped by some walkovers and retirements on the way.

It gave the 24-year-old a much-needed boost and he went on to reach the second week of the French Open, later finished fourth place in the Olympic singles event and won bronze in the mixed doubles.

But Auger-Aliassime could not repeat his heroics on the Spanish clay this year. As the 18th seed, he received a bye directly into the second round, where he lost to Juan Manuel Cerundolo - the younger brother of world No. 21 Francisco.

The world No. 126 came through qualifying to reach the main draw where he stunned Auger-Aliassime, earning the biggest win of his career 7-6(5) 6-4 on Friday.

Less than six hours later, Estoril Open organisers announced that the Canadian had suddenly joined the line-up for their Challenger tournament.

"Hi everyone, it's Felix here. I'm happy to say that I've accepted a wildcard at the Estoril Open so I'll be seeing you all very soon on the courts there," the world No. 19 said in a video on their social media accounts.

This will be Auger-Aliassime's first appearance on the Challenger Tour since 2019. But, with no ATP Tour events taking place next week while the Madrid Open continues, it's his only chance to get some extra matches and ranking points.

The seven-time title winner previously played the Estoril Open in 2022, when it still had ATP 250 status, losing to Sebastian Korda in the quarter-final.

After bowing out of the Madrid Open on Friday, Auger-Aliassime shared a message on social media. "I still love you clay," he wrote.

"Just want to say thanks to the ones still showing support during these tough couple weeks. Back on court for me to always try and improve. Better days to come."

Auger-Aliassime started the season on a high, lifting titles in Adelaide and Montpellier before reaching the Dubai final. But he's now on a four-match losing streak and is yet to score a win on the clay in 2025.