DUBAI: Underarm serves, a questionable VAR call, fiery competition, and a rowdy crowd: Felix Auger-Aliassime’s 7-6 (7), 6-7 (4), 6-3 win over Alexander Bublik in the Dubai first round on Tuesday certainly had it all.

Auger-Aliassime needed two hours and 49 minutes and four match points to overcome the unpredictable Bublik, who was a finalist in Dubai last year and is renowned for his trick shots and unorthodox playing style.

The opening-set tiebreak was particularly contentious between the pair as Auger-Aliassime requested video replay on a point that was awarded to Bublik. The Kazakhstani had hit an overhead which Auger-Aliassime attempted to reach but claimed he was hindered by the ball boy, who was in his way.

“So if you hit the fence, is it replay?” questioned Bublik from the other side of the net.

Chair umpire Miriam Bley sided with Auger-Aliassime and decided the point should be replayed.

Bublik was not happy with the call but play resumed. It was 6-6 in the breaker and Bublik was on his second serve. Instead of taking a safe route at such a crucial stage in the match, Bublik hit a sneaky underarm serve, which caught Auger-Aliassime by surprise and went unreturned, awarding Bublik a set point.

Bublik gestured to the crowd to get louder, feeling vindicated after the VAR call.

But his triumph was short-lived as he soon double-faulted to gift Auger-Aliassime the set.

It was the Canadian’s turn to rally the crowd behind him, as he mocked Bublik’s celebration from earlier and pointed to his ear with a smirk on his face.

The match ultimately went the way of Auger-Aliassime, who now owns a tour-leading 13 victories so far this season, alongside Alex de Minaur and Jiri Lehecka.

“It was a good match. I think entertaining for the crowd, for both players. And some good tennis as well. Some crazy shots on both sides during the match. So, yeah, high quality,” Auger-Aliassime told Arab News after the win.

The Canadian, who will next face Portugal’s Nuno Borges in round two, improved his head-to-head against Bublik to 3-2 overall and despite being familiar with his opponent’s antics, Auger-Aliassime admits he was taken by surprise a few times during the clash.

“Well, it’s not common, so you forget. And then I got caught a few times,” said Auger-Aliassime.

“And then I was like, ‘alright, this is the last time I get caught. So, I need to stay on my toes and be ready.’ That’s the challenge with him. It’s different. But I welcome and accept every challenge. And it’s good things, you know.”

Auger-Aliassime is enjoying a strong start to 2025, having already lifted two trophies in Adelaide and Montpellier in these opening few weeks of the season.

Dubai is not a typical stop on his calendar but with Doha getting upgraded to the ATP 500 level, Auger-Aliassime said playing back-to-back 500s in the Gulf made for a convenient schedule.

The 24-year-old credits the hard work he has been putting in with his team for his form this season, and is thrilled to see it finally paying off.

Highly-touted from his teen years, Auger-Aliassime had a breakout campaign in 2022, where he peaked at No.6 in the world rankings.

The Canadian entered the scene at a time where the legendary trio of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were still around and he has played each of them at least once.

Now, Auger-Aliassime has to contend with a different dominant force in the shape of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who are both younger than him, and have been winning the majority of the big events on tour.

He explains the challenge he is currently up against in the men’s game.

“It’s different. Rafa, Roger, Novak were idols of mine growing up. These guys, I have a ton of respect for them and they’re unbelievable players, but they’re not my idols in a way,” he said, referring to Sinner and Alcaraz.

“They’re my rivals, my competitors, and they’re good guys too. So it’s good for the sport. That being said, I feel like obviously 18, 19, 20, I was in that group. You know, 22, six in the world and then had some difficulties.

“But it’s been interesting. It’s been interesting. I would have loved to keep on climbing the rankings, keep winning big tournaments. But I feel like as a person, these last two years taught me a lot, gave me a lot of important lessons that hopefully are going to serve me now in this next part of my career and in my future life as well.”