Quebecer Félix Auger-Aliassime never gave up, but he still lost 6-3, 2-6 and 7-6 (6) to Spaniard Roberto Bautista-Agut in the quarter-finals of the Antwerp tournament, Friday in Belgium.

Auger-Aliassime (21st ) put himself in a dangerous position by being broken in the eighth game of the deciding set. Bautista-Agut (60th ) made it 5-3 before taking a 30-0 lead in the next game. The Quebecer, however, won four consecutive points to return to equal service.

In the tiebreaker, Auger-Aliassime saved three match points to tie the game 6-6 without however managing to put the finishing touch.

Earlier, Auger-Aliassime held off a break point in the final game of the first set to take the lead with his second set point. Trailing 5-2 in the second, he held on for a 14-point game with the balls in hand, but Bautista-Agut had the last word with his second set point.

Auger-Aliassime hit 19 aces and committed five double faults in the loss. He erased seven break points.

It was a sixth duel between “FAA” and Bautista-Agut. The latter won the last two, so that they won three games each.

Bautista-Agut will now face the winner of a duel later on Friday between Australian favourite Alex De Minaur (ninth) and Frenchman Hugo Gaston (77th ) .

In Kazakhstan, Quebecer Gabriel Diallo (118th ) caused a surprise by eliminating Chilean Alejandro Tabilo (23rd ) in the quarter-finals of the Almaty tournament.

Diallo, 23, overcame a first-set setback to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 against the second seed at the ATP 250 tournament.

The winner broke his opponent twice in six chances while resisting three of the four break points he faced. He placed 76% of his first serves in play, hitting six aces, and won 71% of his serve rallies.

In search of a first ATP title in his career, Diallo will now cross swords with the Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo (31st) in the semi-final. This will be a first duel between the two men.