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. Despite being the second seed at this prestigious tournament, Auger-Aliassime faced challenges with the windy conditions in the second set, initially failing to close out the match while leading 5-4.
Auger-Aliassime, aged 26, managed to break back in the following game and capitalized on his second opportunity to secure the victory, delivering his seventh ace on the match point. Reflecting on the match, Auger-Aliassime acknowledged the adverse wind conditions, which affected his serve, making it a tough finish. However, he expressed relief at regaining the break and successfully serving out the match under more favorable wind conditions.
Having been absent from competitive play since Wimbledon and facing health setbacks in recent weeks, Auger-Aliassime expressed his satisfaction at returning with a significant win. This victory was especially notable as he has historically struggled against Tsitsipas, securing only his fourth win in their 11 encounters.
Auger-Aliassime is now set to compete against Juan Cerundolo of Argentina in the next round. Cerundolo, with a 1-2 record against Auger-Aliassime, caused an upset by defeating 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech of France with a score of 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) on Sunday.
In the women’s event later on Sunday, Chinese qualifier Xiyu Wang overcame 30th-seeded Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Quebec, with a score of 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in a match lasting two hours and two minutes. Wang, aged 25 and formerly ranked 49th in the world, started slowly but gained momentum in the second set to clinch the victory. Fernandez, who reached the round of 16 at the National Bank Open in Toronto the previous week, struggled with her game, recording more unforced errors and fewer winners compared to Wang.
During the match, Fernandez faced difficulties in both her return and service games, winning only three out of 12 return games and seven out of 12 service games. In contrast, Wang performed better in this aspect, winning five out of 12 return games and nine out of 12 service games.
