<p>Roger Federer's bid for an 11th title on the Halle grass was cut short by 20-year-old Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime as he fell away after a fine start to 4-6 6-3 6-2 on Wednesday.</p>.<p>The 39-year-old impressed on his return to competitive action on grass for the first time since 2019 on Monday when he beat qualifier Ilya Ivashka in straight sets.</p>.<p>But Auger-Aliassime was a step up for the fifth-seeded Swiss who was far from his best in an error-strewn display.</p>.<p>It was the first time in 18 appearances that Federer has failed to reach the quarter-finals in Halle.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/tennis/andy-murray-venus-williams-handed-wimbledon-wildcards-998165.html" target="_blank">Andy Murray, Venus WIlliams handed Wimbledon wildcards</a></strong></p>.<p>Auger-Aliassime, who had never played his idol before, failed to capitalise on his break points in the opening set and dropped his own serve when Federer sent a backhand pass whistling down the line to lead 4-3.</p>.<p>But Auger-Aliassime finally converted a break point at the ninth attempt to take a 4-2 lead in the second set and 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer's level dipped after that.</p>.<p>Federer sent a backhand long to drop serve at the start of the decider and Auger-Aliassime never looked back.</p>.<p>Federer has played only three tournaments this year as he comes back from knee surgery and withdrew from the French Open after reaching the fourth round to focus on Wimbledon.</p>.<p>Fourth seed Andrey Rublev beat Jordan Thompson 6-4 6-4 to set up a third-round clash with experienced German Philipp Kohlschreiber who beat Corentin Moutet.</p>
<p>Roger Federer's bid for an 11th title on the Halle grass was cut short by 20-year-old Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime as he fell away after a fine start to 4-6 6-3 6-2 on Wednesday.</p>.<p>The 39-year-old impressed on his return to competitive action on grass for the first time since 2019 on Monday when he beat qualifier Ilya Ivashka in straight sets.</p>.<p>But Auger-Aliassime was a step up for the fifth-seeded Swiss who was far from his best in an error-strewn display.</p>.<p>It was the first time in 18 appearances that Federer has failed to reach the quarter-finals in Halle.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/tennis/andy-murray-venus-williams-handed-wimbledon-wildcards-998165.html" target="_blank">Andy Murray, Venus WIlliams handed Wimbledon wildcards</a></strong></p>.<p>Auger-Aliassime, who had never played his idol before, failed to capitalise on his break points in the opening set and dropped his own serve when Federer sent a backhand pass whistling down the line to lead 4-3.</p>.<p>But Auger-Aliassime finally converted a break point at the ninth attempt to take a 4-2 lead in the second set and 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer's level dipped after that.</p>.<p>Federer sent a backhand long to drop serve at the start of the decider and Auger-Aliassime never looked back.</p>.<p>Federer has played only three tournaments this year as he comes back from knee surgery and withdrew from the French Open after reaching the fourth round to focus on Wimbledon.</p>.<p>Fourth seed Andrey Rublev beat Jordan Thompson 6-4 6-4 to set up a third-round clash with experienced German Philipp Kohlschreiber who beat Corentin Moutet.</p>