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 nowhere near his best, as he suffered a heavy defeat against the former US Open champion.
Auger-Aliassime looked physically spent at times, hunching over after several long rallies with Medvedev.
Who is the best ATP player never to win a Grand Slam title?
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It’s the second time in two weeks that Auger-Aliassime has lost a big match to a top player without providing much resistance.
The same happened in Rotterdam, where Auger-Aliassime lost to Alex de Minaur, 3-6, 2-6.
Those defeats could leave the world number eight feeling disappointed as he makes the trip over to the United States.
Felix Auger-Aliassime hasn’t made the jump many expected
Auger-Aliassime was the talk of the tennis world during the latter stages of the 2025 season.
After reaching the US Open semifinals, the Canadian made the Paris Masters final and the last four of the ATP Finals.
Heading into the new year, some tipped Auger-Aliassime to break Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s duopoly.
Two months into 2026, Auger-Aliassime has failed to do so.
Despite winning the Open Occitanie ATP 250 event in Montpellier, Auger-Aliassime has yet to record a landmark win.
Felix Auger-Aliassime’s 2026 season
| Tournament | Performance | Match wins |
| United Cup | Eliminated in the Group Stage | 1 |
| Australian Open | Lost in 1R to Nuno Borges | 0 |
| Open Occitanie | Champion | 4 |
| Rotterdam Open | Lost in F to Alex de Minaur | 4 |
| Dubai Tennis Championships | Lost in SF to Daniil Medvedev | 3 |
The 25-year-old is 1-2 against top-15 players this year.
If he wants to challenge Alcaraz and Sinner for the number-one ranking and Grand Slam titles, that record must improve.
Because right now, Auger-Aliassime is playing like a top-10 player, and that’s about it.
ATP Top 10
- 1. Carlos Alcaraz
- 2. Jannik Sinner
- 3. Novak Djokovic
- 4. Alexander Zverev
- 5. Lorenzo Musetti
- 6. Alex de Minaur
- 7. Taylor Fritz
- 8. Felix Auger-Aliassime
- 9. Ben Shelton
- 10. Alexander Bublik
There’s nothing wrong with being a top 10 player, of course not; it’s an incredible achievement, but Auger-Aliassime has the potential to be more than that; he just hasn’t shown it in 2026 yet.
What’s next for Felix Auger-Aliassime after Dubai disappointment?
Auger-Aliassime will now head over to the United States for the two Masters 1000 events: Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
First up is Indian Wells, where Auger-Aliassime is 7-7 through 14 matches.
Felix Auger-Aliassime’s Masters 1000 record
| Event | Best performance | 2025 performance | Win/Loss record | Win % |
| Indian Wells | QF – 2023 | Second round | 7-7 | 50% |
| Miami Open | SF – 2019 | Third round | 9-6 | 60% |
| Monte-Carlo Masters | 2R – 2019, 2022, 2024 | First round | 2-6 | 25% |
| Madrid Open | F – 2024 | Second round | 8-6 | 57% |
| Italian Open | QF – 2022 | – | 5-6 | 45% |
| Canadian Open | QF – 2022 | Second round | 5-7 | 42% |
| Cincinnati Open | QF – 2021, 2022, 2025 | Quarterfinalist | 12-7 | 63% |
| Shanghai Masters | QF – 2025 | Quarterfinalist | 4-4 | 50% |
| Paris Masters | F – 2025 | Finalist | 10-5 | 67% |
Felix Auger-Aliassime’s Indian Wells record
- 2018 Indian Wells – Lost in 2R vs Milos Raonic
- 2019 Indian Wells – Lost in 3R vs Yoshihito Nishioka
- 2021 Indian Wells – Lost in 2R vs Albert Ramos Vinolas
- 2022 Indian Wells – Lost in 2R vs Botic van de Zandschulp
- 2023 Indian Wells – Lost in QF vs Carlos Alcaraz
- 2024 Indian Wells – Lost in 3R vs Carlos Alcaraz
- 2025 Indian Wells – Lost in 2R vs Jenson Brooksby
He enjoyed his best-ever Indian Wells three years ago, reaching the quarterfinals.
After beating Pedro Martinez, Francisco Cerundolo, and Tommy Paul, Auger-Aliassime lost to Alcaraz 4-6, 4-6.
Another defeat to Alcaraz followed in 2024, before Auger-Aliassime lost to Jenson Brooksby in the second round last time out.
He’ll certainly be hoping for a better showing this year!
But before things get serious, he’ll have a chance to enjoy himself in California.
Auger-Aliassime has signed up for the ‘Tiebreak Tens’ mixed doubles event with his fellow Canadian, Leylah Fernandez.
Other teams competing for the title include Iga Swiatek/Casper Ruud, Elena Rybakina/Taylor Fritz, and Jessica Pegula/Tommy Paul.
Matches consist of ten-point tiebreaks, and last year’s champions, Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz, shared $200,000 from their win.
Can Auger-Aliassime and Fernandez take this year’s title? Only time will tell.
The Tiebreak Tens event takes place on Tuesday, March 3, before the Indian Wells main draw starts on Wednesday, March 4.
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