Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime plays against Casper Ruud of Norway during day five of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in Monte-Carlo, Monaco, on Thursday.Julian Finney/Getty Images
Canadian tennis star Félix Auger-Aliassime advanced to the quarter-finals of the Monte-Carlo Masters on Thursday with a walkover when opponent Casper Ruud retired.
Auger-Aliassime was up 7-5, 2-2 and had just fired his fourth ace of the match to complete a hold when the Norwegian withdrew from the match.
Auger-Aliassime improved his record this year to 17-6 and is the first Canadian to advance to the quarter-final of every ATP Masters tournament.
The 25-year-old from Montreal, who is seeded sixth at the clay-court event, faces a tough opponent in the next round in second seed Jannik Sinner.
Sinner lost a set but advanced with 6-1, 6-7 (3), 6-3 win over Czechia’s Tomas Machac. The Italian had not dropped a set across his previous 18 Masters matches, a run that includes titles in Paris, Indian Wells and Miami.
Sinner has a 4-2 record against Auger-Aliassime, with all four wins coming in high-profile matches last year. He beat the Canadian in the final of the Paris Masters, the semi-finals of the U.S. Open, the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters and the round robin of the ATP Finals.