Kovacevic Ousts Top Seed Auger-Aliassime To Reach Hamburg Quarterfinals

Aleksandar Kovacevic
Aleksandar Kovacevic (photo: Witters/Bitpanda Hamburg Open)

HAMBURG/WASHINGTON, May 20, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)

Top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime came into his second-round match at the ATP 500 Bitpanda Hamburg Open against lucky loser Aleksandar Kovacevic feeling confident, looking to reach back-to-back quarterfinals in northern Germany.

The World No. 5 from Canada also sought to reach his 16th tour-level quarterfinal on clay – second of the season after Monte-Carlo. The 25-year-old Montreal native brought an 11-2 win-loss record against Americans since the start of the 2024 season into Wednesday’s match and a victory over the 94th-ranked Kovacevic would give him 20 wins this season. So, it was a pretty safe bet that Auger-Aliassime would prevail in Hamburg.

Meanwhile, Kovacevic earned his first win since Indian Wells by defeating 140th-ranked qualifier Arthur Gea on Tuesday, avenging his loss to the Frenchman in the second round of qualifying. He aimed to become the first lucky loser to reach the Hamburg quarterfinals since Alexander Bublik in 2020.

Guess what?

The longer the match went on the better Kovacevic became against the Canadian No. 1. By the end of their two-hour, 22-minute skirmish, everything was going the 27-year-old New Yorker’s way. Kovacevic came out on top, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, to advance to his ninth career ATP Tour quarterfinal. It was Kovacevic’s first victory in three tries against Auger-Aliassime.

At a set each, Kovacevic broke Auger-Aliassime for the third time in the match to take a 5-4 lead in the decider. Then, keeping his composure and swinging freely, Kovacevic went from lucky loser to quarterfinalist after consolidating the break for his 10th victory of the season. He secured the win – the biggest match victory of his career – by fighting back from 1-4 down in the final set to capture the final five games of the match.

“When you get a second chance like this, there is a part of you that’s ‘There is nothing to lose out here’,” Kovacevic said during his on-court interview with ATP Media. “You’re maybe a tad more relaxed. I’m a bit of a pessimist in life, so for me to get back as a lucky loser, I was not super excited about it. Everyone was telling me, ‘You have to be grateful for your second chance. You have to use it.’ It seems like I might be using it this week.”

By the conclusion, Kovacevic struck 30 winners to 33 unforced errors, converted three of five break points and outpointed Auger-Aliassime 94-92.

During his on-court interview, Kovacevic said he was unaware that his triumph over Auger-Aliassime was the biggest victory of his career by ranking.

“I wasn’t even aware,” Kovacevic said, smiling. “It’s a good thing I wasn’t, because maybe I would’ve been a bit more nervous out here. It feels great. I’ve had a lot of tough losses, where the pendulum has just swung the wrong way for me, even a couple of weeks ago in Rome.

“It was just big for me to come through a match like this, especially being a break down in the third, just to get back on the right track. [Felix is] an amazing player. I’ve been watching him since I was young, even though he’s younger than me. … He’s was killing it before I was.”

Added Kovacevic: “This is the best thing that could have happened to me the week before Roland-Garros.”

Next, Kovacevic will face No. 68 Camilo Ugo Carabelli of Argentina, who defeated fellow American and World No. 21 and eighth seed Frances Tiafoe. Their match was interrupted by rain Wednesday afternoon after Ugo Carabelli had secured the first set 7-6 (3), outside on M1 Court. When it was resumed Wednesday evening inside on Centre Court, Carabelli came from 2-5 down in the second set to pull out a straight-set victory, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), in one hour and 53 minutes. He outpointed Tiafoe 79-72.

Tiafoe was two points away from taking the second-round match into a decider but wasn’t able to pull it out. It was Ugo Carabelli’s second-best win by ranking in his career. 

Kovacevic is the first American to reach the Hamburg quarterfinals since Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras in 1995. Later, he was joined by another American, World No. 26 and sixth seed Tommy Paul, who completed his rain-interrupted second-round match by defeating No. 25 Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (56), 7-6 (7), in three hours and 33 minutes on M1 Court. Paul, who saved seven match points over two days, will face Germany’s Daniel Altmaier in Thursday’s quarterfinal round.

De Minaur races past Davidovich Fokina

No. 3 seed Alex de Minaur of Australia brought a 3-2 head-to-head series advantage into his second-round match against No. 23 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain Wednesday evening. Their most recent meeting was last August in Washington, D.C., when de Minaur garnered his 10th ATP Tour title by winning the D.C. Open on an outdoor hard court. This time, Davidovich Fokina was facing a Top-10 player for the first time this season and it’s been since Barcelona in April 2025 that he earned a Top-10 win on clay.

However, this time it was de Minaur who prevailed with the roof closed over Centre Court. The World No. 9 from Sydney defeated Davidovich Fokina, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, in two hours and 39 minutes, coming through on his third match-point opportunity, to advance to his fourth quarterfinal of the season. Since the start of the 2023 season, de Minaur is 56-19 at 500-series level.

De Minaur, who overcame 46 unforced errors and outpointed his opponent 101-92, became the first Australian to reach the Hamburg quarterfinals since Lleyton Hewitt in 2007. 

“It was a good battle and we have a lot of respect for each other,” de Minaur said during his on-court interview after the match with ATP Media. “I’m stoked that I was able to come out with the win but I knew it was going to be a battle. He’s a hell of a competitor and I have a lot of respect for him.”

Darderi eliminates home favorite Hanfmann

The final match on Centre Court featured World No. 16 and seventh seed Luciano Darderi of Italy, seeking to reach his sixth ATP Tour quarterfinal of the season – a career-best in a single season – against No. 55-ranked Yannick Hanfmann of Germany, who was looking to reach his 22nd ATP Tour quarterfinal  overall and 17th on clay. A win for Hanfmann would mean his second last-eight appearance on home soil after reaching his first ATP Tour quarterfinal at Munich in 2017.

Due to several lengthy matches earlier – plus the addition of the completion of the Camilo Ugo Carabelli-Frances Tiafoe match that was moved inside from M1 Court after rain suspended play – the Darderi-Hanfmann match didn’t begin until 9:43 p.m. local time, and it was won by Darderi, 7-6 (7), 7-5, in an hour and 53 minutes for his 20th win of the season. The victory earned him a third-straight quarterfinal berth in Hamburg. Darderi hit 19 winners – including nine aces – and outpointed Hanfmann 78-64.

Around Rothenbaum Tennis Stadium

Rain delayed the start of play on the outside M1 and M2 courts for about 75 minutes, then returned later in the late afternoon.

• When play finally began, 57th-ranked Peruvian qualifier Ignacio Buse came out strong and fast and upset No. 28 Jakub Mensik of Czechia, 6-0, 6-3, in 62 minutes on M1 Court to advance to the quarterfinal round. 

In their first tour-level meeting Buse hit 22 winners and saved all four break points he faced against Mensik and came out on top in total points 56-32. Buse has not dropped a set in either qualifying or the main draw.

“I’ve been playing really good tennis this week,” Buse said during his post-match news conference, after improving to 16-11 in all competitions this season. “I’ve been playing with less expectations. When I don’t think in the future too much – just stay in the present and focus on little things about my game – I play my best tennis.”

Next, Buse will face 34th-ranked Ugo Humbert of France, who went the distance to upset World No. 15 and fifth seed Karen Khachanov of Russia, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (3), in two hours and 13 minutes on Centre Court. Humbert struck 34 overall winners – including seven aces – in collecting his 15th victory of the season and advancing to his third quarterfinal of the season – first on clay since Monte-Carlo in 2024. It was his third Top-20 win of 2026.

• In doubles, Austrian duo Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler advanced to the quarterfinal round with a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 10-8 victory over Andre Goransson of Sweden and Evan King of the United States. 

Also, No. 2 seeds Christian Harrison of the United States and Neal Skupski of Great Britain advanced to the quarterfinals with a 4-6, 6-1, 10-5 victory over Brazilians Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos.

Wednesday’s Hamburg Open results

Thursday’s Hamburg Open order of play

By the numbers

Daniel Altmaier‘s upset of World No. 6 Ben Shelton on Tuesday night was his seventh career victory over a Top-10 player. The victory improved his 2026 tour-level win-loss record overall to 6-13.

“Quotable …”

“If you see this match, it’s a crazy comeback. I’m proud. I stuck to my game. I felt it was a little unfair being a set and 4-5 down, because I felt I was playing quite well. But I’m glad to get through in the end.”

– No. 65 Daniel Altmaier of Germany, during his on-court interview with ATP Media Tuesday evening, after rallying to defeat World No. 6 and second seed Ben Shelton of the United States.

 

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