Felix Auger-Aliassime lost to Daniil Medvedev 4-6, 2-6, in the semifinals of the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships.
The number-one seed was well below his best against the former US Open champion, who put together an impressive performance.
Felix seemed to struggle physically at times, especially after a few of the longer exchanges. It’s not the first time recently he’s come up short against a top player. He had a similar result in Rotterdam, where he fell to Alex de Minaur.
With back-to-back losses behind him, there are some real questions about whether he’s ready for an extended run.
Felix Auger-Aliassime has yet to hit the heights many predicted
Auger-Aliassime had a strong finish to the 2025 season, reaching the semifinals of the US Open before making deep runs at both the Paris Masters and ATP Finals.
Coming into this year, there were hopes he might be able to break up Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s hold on the top of men’s tennis.
But two months into 2026, that hasn’t happened. He hasn’t managed a standout win so far this season.
The 25-year-old is just 1-2 against top-15 players this year.
If he wants to push Alcaraz and Sinner for Grand Slams and the number one ranking, that record needs to improve.
Right now, Auger-Aliassime is playing like a solid top-10 player—no more than that. That’s not necessarily a knock; being in the top 10 is a serious achievement. But with his talent, there’s an expectation that he can offer more than what we’ve seen so far in 2026.
What’s next for Felix Auger-Aliassime after Dubai disappointment?
Auger-Aliassime now heads to the US for back-to-back Masters 1000 tournaments: Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
He has a .500 record at Indian Wells over 14 matches, but will look to build some momentum this time around.
His best run in California came three years ago when he reached the quarter-finals, defeating Pedro Martinez, Francisco Cerundolo and Tommy Paul before losing to Alcaraz in straight sets.
It was Alcaraz again who knocked him out a year later, followed by a second-round loss to Jenson Brooksby in his most recent appearance.
He’ll be looking for a much better showing this time around.
Before the main action begins, he’ll have a chance to relax and enjoy himself. Auger-Aliassime is set to play in the ‘Tiebreak Tens’ mixed doubles event alongside fellow Canadian Leylah Fernandez.
The event features several notable pairings, including Iga Swiatek/Casper Ruud, Elena Rybakina/Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula/Tommy Paul. Matches are played as ten-point tiebreaks.
Rybakina and Fritz won last year’s title, splitting $200,000 between them. Can Auger-Aliassime and Fernandez come out on top this time? We’ll soon find out.
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