Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime marked a successful comeback to the court by defeating Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas with a score of 6-3, 7-5 in the second round of the Cincinnati Open on Sunday. Auger-Aliassime, seeded second in the tournament, faced challenges with the wind during the second set and missed an opportunity to close out the match while leading 5-4. However, he managed to break back in the following game and secured victory by serving his seventh ace on match point.
Reflecting on the match, Auger-Aliassime mentioned the adverse impact of the wind on his serve, especially towards the end. Despite the tricky conditions, he expressed satisfaction with his performance after a 40-day break from competitive play since Wimbledon. Auger-Aliassime acknowledged the difficulties he faced health-wise in recent weeks but was delighted to return with a strong win.
The victory over Tsitsipas marked only the fourth win in 11 encounters for Auger-Aliassime against the Greek player. Up next, the Canadian will take on Juan Cerundolo of Argentina, whom he has faced three times before, winning on one occasion. Cerundolo caused an upset by defeating 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech of France 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) in the previous round.
In the women’s event, qualifier Xiyu Wang of China eliminated 30th-seeded Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., in a hard-fought match lasting two hours and two minutes. Wang, aged 25 and formerly ranked No. 49 in the world, overcame a slow start to dominate the match, finishing with 23 winners, 35 unforced errors, two aces, and two double faults. Fernandez, who reached the round of 16 at the National Bank Open in Toronto, struggled with 11 winners, 26 unforced errors, seven double faults, and one ace. Notably, Fernandez struggled in return games, winning only three out of 12, while Wang showcased better performance in both return and service games.
