Solid Auger-Aliassime and future top 50 Atmane set up a third-round clash in Miami

Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, the seventh seed, and Frenchman Terence Atmane both advanced to the third round of the Miami Open on Saturday evening, setting up a meeting between two hungry hard-court specialists.

Auger-Aliassime grinds through a tight Fucsovics battle

Auger-Aliassime beat Hungarian Marton Fucsovics 7-6 (3), 7-5 in a match that captured everything compelling and frustrating about the Canadian’s game. Ranked No. 8, he was rarely dominant but rarely troubled either — a player operating with the quiet confidence of someone who has rediscovered what he is capable of.

The match had a distinctive rhythm. Three times one of the two players broke serve, and three times the other broke straight back. The stalemate held until the decisive game, when Auger-Aliassime finally converted and did not look back. It was his 15th win of 2026 and his fifth time reaching the Miami third round – though he had not been past the third round here since 2019.

Fucsovics, ranked No. 54, had come through a testing first-round win over Australian Christopher O’Connell, taking it 7-6 (6), 6-3. He pushed Auger-Aliassime hard enough, but on the day the Canadian had the sharper instincts when it mattered.

Atmane dispatches Rinderknech to reach the last 32

Atmane’s evening was rather more straightforward. The Frenchman, ranked No. 53, beat compatriot and seed No. 26 Arthur Rinderknech 7-6 (4), 6-3 to continue a run of form that has quietly made him one of the more watchable players on the hard-court circuit. A semifinalist in Cincinnati last year, Atmane will enter the top 50 in the rankings on March 30.

He had already shown his quality in the previous round, dismissing German Daniel Altmaier 6-4, 6-2. Against Rinderknech, he was tested early before finding his level and closing it out with authority.

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