SHANGHAI — Felix Auger-Aliassime's hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals suffered a major blow after he retired with a knee injury while trailing Casper Ruud 2-5 in the first set of their fourth-round match at the Shanghai Masters. The Canadian fell awkwardly on his knee early in the opener and could not continue, sending Ruud through after the late first-set retirement.
The trouble started in game three with Auger-Aliassime serving at 1-2 and leading 40-0. He lost five straight points to face break point at 40-A, fell and landed awkwardly on his knee, then dropped the point as Ruud took a 3-1 lead. After signaling to his team and stuttering to the back of the court, Ruud held comfortably for 4-1 before Auger-Aliassime took a three-minute medical timeout to have his knee strapped. He managed to hold to make it 2-5, but then told his team, “No, it hurts too much,” while his physio replied, “Don’t play, it’s fine,” before he went to shake Ruud’s hand.
Sky Sports commentators flagged the issue immediately. “I think he’s struggling here. Is it the knee? He’s had knee issues in his career,” Colin Fleming said. Naomi Cavaday replied: “Just all of a sudden… He definitely looks uncomfortable. Of course, the break won’t be sitting nicely either, but definitely something distracting him, contributing to those misses. Did not want to load.” Fleming added: “Five points in a row [he lost] there. Capitulation from 40-0. Not a good game but seemingly some physical issues,” recalling a similar scare at the 2025 ATP Finals in Turin that transpired to be a cramping issue rather than a serious knee injury.
The 26-year-old is currently 15th in the Race To Turin, 415 points behind Alex de Minaur, who occupies the final qualification spot for the season-ending tournament in Turin. The setback leaves him unlikely to play next week’s European Open in Brussels, with doubts also over his participation at the Swiss Indoors Basel starting October 26 and the Paris Masters starting November 2.