Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime marked his comeback on the court with a victorious 6-3, 7-5 triumph over Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas during the second round of the Cincinnati Open on Sunday.
Despite being the second seed at the Masters-level event, Auger-Aliassime faced challenges with the wind in the second set and missed the opportunity to close out the match while leading 5-4. However, the 26-year-old managed to break back in the following game and capitalized on his second chance to secure the win, sealing the match with his seventh ace on the decisive point.
Reflecting on the match, Auger-Aliassime mentioned the difficult windy conditions, which affected his serve and power. He acknowledged the tricky ending but expressed relief at regaining the break and finishing the match more effectively, especially after a 40-day break from competitive play since Wimbledon. Despite recent health struggles, he was pleased to return with a strong victory.
Auger-Aliassime’s victory over Tsitsipas was only his fourth win in 11 encounters against the Greek player. His next opponent will be Juan Cerundolo of Argentina, whom he holds a 2-1 record against. Cerundolo caused an upset by defeating 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech of France in a closely contested match on Sunday.
In the women’s event, qualifier Xiyu Wang of China overcame 30th-seeded Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Que., with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory in a two-hour, two-minute battle. Wang, a 25-year-old player who was previously ranked 49th in the world, started slowly but gained momentum in the second set, maintaining her lead till the end. Fernandez, who reached the round of 16 at the National Bank Open in Toronto, struggled with her performance, accumulating more unforced errors and double faults compared to Wang.
During the match, Fernandez struggled to win return games, while Wang displayed a more balanced performance, securing both return and service games effectively.