Felix Auger-Aliassime experienced firsthand the lively pace of New York, known as the city that never sleeps. The Montreal tennis sensation kicked off his U.S. Open campaign with a grueling first-round match that lasted three hours and 19 minutes, including a 55-minute rain delay between sets two and three.
Auger-Aliassime, seeded third in the tournament, emerged victorious in his singles showdown on Monday night, defeating Rinky Hijiata of Australia with a scoreline of 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. Reflecting on the match, Auger-Aliassime acknowledged the challenge posed by his opponent while expressing satisfaction with his advancement to the next round.
The Canadian standout showcased a solid performance, tallying 17 aces, 48 winners, and 11 double faults. Despite committing 50 unforced errors, Auger-Aliassime maintained his composure, winning 18 out of 22 service games and six out of 21 return games. His next opponent will be Russian player Karen Khachanov, who secured a straight-sets victory over Roman Burruchaga from Argentina.
In other U.S. Open action, Denis Shapovalov from Richmond Hill, Ont., is slated to compete in his second-round men’s singles match against Luca Van Assche of France on Wednesday. Shapovalov previously triumphed over Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia in four sets, while Van Assche vanquished Britain’s Cameron Norrie in a similar fashion.
Meanwhile, Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., is gearing up for her second-round women’s singles encounter against Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand also on Wednesday. Fernandez sailed past Shuai Zhang of China in straight sets, whereas Sawangkaew secured her spot in the next round by defeating Panna Udvardy of Hungary in straight sets as well.
