Felix Auger-Aliassime overcame a stern test from Nuno Borges in his first-round clash at the Halle Open, needing one hour and 42 minutes to progress. 

Auger-Aliassime, who suffered a surprise quarter-final exit at s-Hertogenbosch last week, got himself back on track here with a hard-earned 6-3 3-6 6-3 triumph. 

The second seed rolled through the first set with the minimum of fuss, but the momentum swung in Borges' favour at the end of the second as he reeled off three straight games. 

A third and deciding set was needed, with Borges missing a break opportunity in the opening game, and he was left to rue that missed chance against his Canadian opponent. 

Just as Borges did in the second, Auger-Aliassime put together a three-game winning run, and he sealed his progression with a cushioned volley at the net. 

Auger-Aliassime will face Learner Tien in the next round, and he was not the only American to advance in Germany, with Frances Tiafoe also reaching the second stage. 

Tiafoe needed just 85 minutes to register an impressive 6-2 7-6 (7-4) triumph over the recently-beaten French Open finalist Flavio Cobolli. 

At Queen's, 2024 champion Tommy Paul kickstarted his quest for a second title by beating compatriot Zachary Svajda 7-5 6-3. 

It was a bad day for the home hopefuls, with Harry Wendelken and Jack Pinnington Jones both eliminated by Botic van de Zandschulp and Denis Shapovalov, respectively. 

Auger-Aliassime wins again but improvements noted

With Wimbledon approaching, Auger-Aliassime will be hoping to use these grass-court tournaments as solid preparation as he looks to repeat his quarter-final run in SW19 five years ago, but he will know he wasn't at his full potential here. 

He fired nine aces to Borges' five, though he also registered two double faults. However, he did improve his serving as the game progressed. He won 85% (44/52) of his first-serve points to record his 25th win of the season. 

Auger-Aliassime is only the fifth male player to reach that milestone in 2026, following in the footsteps of Paul, Daniil Medvedev (both 26), Alexander Zverev (35) and Jannik Sinner.