DUBAI: Felix Auger-Aliassime has returned to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships with the aim to improve on last season’s runner-up showing.

The Canadian, ranked No. 8 in the world and the No. 1 seed in Dubai, needed six match-points to secure victory over China’s Zhizhen Zhang, and progresses to Wednesday’s round of 16 to face Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

Auger-Aliassime opened his campaign with a 6-3, 7-6(4) win. A year ago, the 25-year-old reached the championship match but was denied the trophy by a red-hot Stefanos Tsitsipas.

This time around, he arrives as one of the leading contenders for the title, with his face prominently positioned around the host venue’s expanded Tennis Village, a fact he is happy to embrace.

“It’s the right timing,” he said post-match.

“It’s not like it’s too soon for me. I’ve been on this Tour for quite some years now and been in this position as a teenager in Junior Grand Slams too, so I like to be in this position where there is pressure on me and to see if I deliver.

“I am kind of testing my growth, self-belief, and composure, and I want to be in this position in even bigger tournaments one day.”

Against Zhang, he saved four break points, but also failed to convert two match points on return at 5-4 and three more at 6-5 before holding his nerve in the tiebreak to avoid a third set.

“I stopped counting at some point; it was getting too frustrating,” he said with his charismatic smile.

“It’s weird because having match points is the position you want to be in as a player, yet your mind plays a trick on you because how much further I am from losing, he’s the one who should be tight, but the players (leading) tend to actually get tight.

“But I kept telling myself if there’s a third set, I’ll be there.”

Next up is Mpetshi Perricard after the Frenchman saw off Tunisian wildcard Moez Echargui, the Arab world’s top-ranked player at No. 141. Echargui pushed himself and his opponent to the limit, with all three sets going to tiebreaks.

Mpetshi Perricard finally edged through 7-6 (3), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4). Such was the intensity, Mpetshi Perricard required medical timeouts for ankle pain and suggested he was “not very confident” he would recover fully in time for his next match.

For 33-year-old Echargui, in contrast, February is proving positive. Having made his ATP 500 debut last week in Doha, he said this month marks an important new chapter in his career.

“Going on center court and playing against top players, it is where we want to be, playing in these big tournaments, in front of these big crowds,” said Echargui, whose next stop is Indian Wells next week.

“Despite the result, I’m feeling really positive about it. I knew the match would be a hard one, so I just tried to stay focused all the way through. I’m proud to represent my country and to represent all the Arab world, especially here in Dubai.”

In the final match on center court, British No. 1 Jack Draper eased back into life on Tour following eight months out with a recurring arm injury. The No. 4 seed, demonstrating a new serve technique, hit 13 aces as he beat French qualifier Quentin Halys 7-6 (8), 6-3 to progress.

“Today was a little bit nervy,” said Draper, who was world No. 4 last June before a series of injuries struck.

“It wasn’t my cleanest performance, but after all this time, I’m really proud of myself. The way I came out and competed; it wasn’t easy but from here on, hopefully I can go from strength to strength.

“It was really great to get back competing and in front of people, I’ve been practicing for eight months now in front of only my granddad, so to be out here, to play in front of you guys and be back on tour it is honestly such a privilege for me.”