Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime marked his comeback to the tennis court with a solid performance, defeating Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-5 in the second round of the Cincinnati Open on Sunday.
Despite being the second seed at the Masters-level event, Auger-Aliassime faced challenges in the windy conditions during the second set. He missed the opportunity to serve out the match at 5-4 but managed to break back in the following game. With determination, he secured the win by delivering his seventh ace on match point.
Reflecting on the match, Auger-Aliassime commented on the difficult conditions caused by the wind, especially affecting his serve. He expressed relief in regaining the break and closing out the match successfully, considering it his first game in 40 days since Wimbledon.
Auger-Aliassime’s victory over Tsitsipas was significant as he had struggled against the Greek player in the past, winning only four out of their 11 encounters. Up next, the Canadian will face Juan Cerundolo of Argentina, who caused an upset by defeating the 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech of France in a tight match on Sunday.
In the women’s event, Chinese qualifier Xiyu Wang triumphed over 30th-seeded Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Quebec, with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory. Wang, a former world No. 49, started slow but turned the match around in the second set with a strong performance, clinching the win after two hours and two minutes of play. Fernandez, who had a good run at the National Bank Open in Toronto, struggled with her game, managing only three return game wins and seven service game wins against Wang’s five and nine, respectively.