Brussels Loses Rune, Auger-Aliassime and Ruud Before a Ball Is Struck; Arthur Fils Left as Top Seed

Tournaments lose players every week. What happened to the ATP 250 in Brussels goes well past the usual attrition: before the European Open had properly begun, the draw lost Holger Rune, world No. 5 Félix Auger-Aliassime and Casper Ruud — three headline names, for three different reasons, in the span of one Shanghai hangover. What is left now belongs, at least on paper, to Arthur Fils, the top seed and the man everyone else is chasing.

Rune’s comeback hits another bump

Rune’s withdrawal is the most delicate of the three, because of where it lands in his story. EssentiallySports reported that the Dane pulled out of Brussels with a back issue after accepting a wild card into the event. “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to play in Brussels as planned,” he wrote on X, in a post reported by EssentiallySports. “My back has seized up, but fortunately, scans have confirmed that it’s nothing serious. So 2-3 days rest. Just really annoying and unfortunate timing.” His mother and manager, Aneke Rune, told Danish broadcaster TV 2 Sport that his back had locked up and that, after massage and heat treatment, a doctor recommended two to three days of rest.

Two or three days is nothing on a calendar. In Rune’s calendar, it is the latest interruption in a comeback year defined by them. EssentiallySports reported that Rune returned this season from an Achilles injury that kept him out for roughly 11 months, coming back at the Davis Cup and then playing the Asian swing — where the wins have not followed. He lost at the Japan Open to Kyrian Jacquet 6-3, 6-1, then lost in the first round in Shanghai to Daniel Altmaier 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4, and he is still seeking his first tour-level win of the year. EssentiallySports reported that Rune’s team now hopes he can be ready for Basel, which begins October 26, potentially entering on a protected ranking. It also noted the patience being preached around him: Novak Djokovic, speaking in Shanghai, called the Achilles injury one of the worst a player can have and stressed that match play is completely different from practice. Brussels was supposed to be where the match play accumulated. Instead, it waits again.

Auger-Aliassime shuts it down for two weeks

Auger-Aliassime’s absence is the biggest by ranking, and the clearest in its timeline. EssentiallySports reported that the world No. 5 injured his knee during his round-of-16 match against Ruud at the Shanghai Masters, and has withdrawn from both Brussels and Basel. His own statement, posted to Instagram and quoted by EssentiallySports, laid it out plainly: “After injuring my knee during my match in Shanghai earlier this week, my team and I have decided that I’ll take the next two weeks off from competition… withdrawing from Brussels and Basel, two tournaments I’ve won and really enjoyed playing in the past. Now the focus shifts to recovery and working hard to get back to competing as soon as possible.”

These are not tournaments Auger-Aliassime skips lightly: by his own description they are events he has won and enjoyed. A two-week shutdown, announced in one stroke for two tournaments, is a player protecting the rest of his year rather than gambling it on a knee that has already spoken up once.

Ruud makes it three, and Fils inherits the draw

The third withdrawal is the one without an explanation. EssentiallySports reported that Ruud will also not play in Brussels, and that the reason behind his withdrawal is unclear. What is on the record is his last match: a Shanghai quarterfinal loss to Rafael Jodar, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, in a match where, as EssentiallySports put it, the Norwegian was clearly not at his physical best. Ruud’s camp has not connected those dots publicly, and it would be wrong to state more than that.

What is certain is the reshaped draw. With Rune, Auger-Aliassime and Ruud all out, EssentiallySports reported that Arthur Fils has emerged as the top seed in Brussels and the favorite to win it, with a chance to claim his third title of the season. Fils now has the clearest possible runway: the three men most likely to beat him never checked in.

Monday on court

The tennis, meanwhile, started without them. The Reuters/Field Level Media roundup carried by Yardbarker reported that fifth seed Alex Michelsen did not face a single break point in a 6-1, 6-2 first-round win over Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri, committing just 10 unforced errors to his opponent’s 28. The roundup also reported wins for lucky loser Martin Damm over Yannick Hanfmann, 7-5, 6-3, and Jaume Munar over qualifier Federico Cina, 6-4, 6-3. Elsewhere in Monday’s roundup, Nikoloz Basilashvili beat Marin Cilic 6-2, 7-5, James Duckworth beat Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-3, Mikhail Kukushkin edged Stefanos Sakellaridis 7-6(4), 7-6(3), and Adrian Mannarino outlasted Aleksandar Vukic 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3.

That is the reality of a 250 in a crowded autumn: the billboards change, the tennis goes on. But Brussels was seeded and scheduled around three names who are now resting a back, resting a knee and offering no reason at all. Fils, Michelsen and the rest get a wider-open week because of it — and the three absentees get the question every injured player carries into the season’s final stretch: whether there is enough year left for a return to matter.