14-year-old Auger-Aliassime qualifies for his first Challenger main draw
Three Canadians were in action on Monday in qualifying and first round main draw action at the Drummondville National Bank Challenger . Sancitoned by the ATP, the tournament offers $50,000 in prize money and will be played from March 14-22, 2015 at Tennis intérieur René-Verrier in Drummondville.
Fourteen-year-old Montrealer Félix Auger-Aliassime won his final round match in qualifying 7-6(4), 6-3 over world no. 334 Fritz Wolmarans of South Africa to earn a spot in his first Challenger singles main draw. After the match, Auger-Aliassime, ranked no. 191 on the ITF junior rankings, was forced to withdraw from the tournament because of an abdominal strain. Wolmarans will take his place in the draw and face Eduardo Struvay of Colombia in the first round.
Vancouver’s Philp Bester played Monday’s evening session match against American Jarmere Jenkins. After dropping the opening set, Bester fought back and the contest was ultimately decided in a third set tiebreak which was won by Jenkins 10-8 to secure a 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(8) victory. Bester completes his Quebec tournament run with a 5-3 record and reaching the final at the Gatineau Futures presented by Rouge FM two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Pavel Krainik of Ontario was defeated in the opening round by eighth-seeded Belgian Maxime Authom 6-2, 6-4. Canadians Frank Dancevic and Filip Peliwo will play their first matches on Tuesday.
