Auger-Aliassime rallies past Molcan, claims 5-set victory in 2nd round of Australian Open

Two sets into his delayed second-round singles match on Monday night, social media was abuzz with tennis upset alerts.

It appeared, after uninspired 6-3, 6-3 setbacks, that sixth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal was going to become the first major upset of the 2023 Australian Open.

But Alex Molcan, the 25-year-old Slovakian singles star, sputtered and then collapsed, as Auger-Aliassime stormed back with spirited 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victories to avoid an early exit at Melbourne Park.

Auger-Aliassime, who struggled out of the gates in the first round before bouncing Vasek Pospisil of Vancouver in four sets, started even slower against Molcan, but appeared by the fourth set to have run his rival out of gas.

WATCH | Auger-Aliassime completes comeback win over Molcan:

"I had belief in myself after winning the third set. I had come back before and I felt I could do it again. But boy, it was a difficult day," said Auger-Aliassime, who finished with 23 aces in the match that took three hours and three minutes to complete.

All the matches on Monday night were delayed by four to six hours due to heavy rains and slippery courts.

Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, who was scheduled to play Cristina Bucsa of Spain at 7 p.m. ET, was still waiting to play her second-round singles match six-and-a-half hours later.

Andreescu defeated Marie Bouzkova 6-2, 6-4 of Czechia in the first round of the Open, while Busca bounced Eva Lys of Ukraine 2-6, 6-0, 6-2.

And Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., was waiting to play his second-round match against Taro Daniel of New York when Auger-Aliassime walked off the court.

Rafael Nadal bowed his head during changeovers and rested his elbows on his knees, the very picture of resignation.

What already was a poor start to 2023, following a year marred by all manner of health issues, reached a low point at the Australian Open on Wednesday.

The defending champion and No. 1 seed at Melbourne Park, a clearly hurting Nadal lost his second-round match to Mackenzie McDonald 6-4, 6-4, 7-5, abruptly ending his bid for a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam trophy.

It was not immediately clear what was bothering the 35-year-old Spaniard, but he pulled up awkwardly at the end of a point late in the second set against the 65th-ranked McDonald.