Felix Auger-Aliassime edges Dominic Thiem in nearly five-hour Australian Open epic

The second day of the Australian Open bled well into the third thanks to Felix Auger-Aliassime and Dominic Thiem.

On Margarert Court Arena, the two former Top 10 players combined to play the longest match of the fortnight so far, and the Canadian outlasted the Austrian 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(5), 5-7, 6-3 in a minute short of five hours.

After Auger-Aliassime won the first two sets, Thiem kept himself alive by winning the last five points of the third-set tiebreak. The match ultimately entered a fifth set at 12:54 a.m. local time after the Austrian served out the fourth on his second attempt.

"A lot of relief. It's crazy, these matches, you go through really all the emotions," Auger-Aliassime said after winning the longest match of his career.

"It was a great level, a great match. I started well, and then it's a sport. Sometimes, it sucks. You're trying your best, and then he also played well. He served well. It was a struggle for me, but in the end, I didn't want to fail mentally, I didn't want to disappoint myself with my effort. I didn't want to have any regrets leaving this court today.

"Even though it was frustrating, the way it went in the third set, I thought, 'You need to be tough, you need to be strong,' and I'm happy I did."

The first-round match between the two former Top 10 players ended at 1:40 a.m. local time. In the fifth set, Auger-Aliassime raced out of the gates to a 3-0 lead after saving two break points in the first game. From there, he lost just four points on serve the rest of the match.

The physical test would've been doubly satisfying for Auger-Aliassime, who was limited to just one match in mixed doubles representing Canada to start the season at the United Cup due to a recurring knee injury that plagued him at points last season. Last week in Auckland, he lost in the first round to Germany's Daniel Altmaier.

With the win, Auger-Aliassime avoided a first-round loss at the Australian Open for the first time since his main-draw debut at the tournament in 2020. In the last three Grand Slam tournaments of 2023, the Canadian fell at the first hurdle.