Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime marked his comeback on the court with a triumphant 6-3, 7-5 victory over Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in 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 windy conditions in the second set, faltering to close out the match at 5-4. However, the 26-year-old managed to break back in the following game, securing the win with his seventh ace on the match point.
Reflecting on the match, Auger-Aliassime acknowledged the adverse weather conditions, noting the impact on his serve due to the strong winds. Despite the tricky ending, he expressed relief at regaining the break and serving out the match successfully in his second attempt, especially after a 40-day break from competitive play following Wimbledon. Auger-Aliassime emphasized his satisfaction with the victory, considering the recent health challenges he had faced.
Having struggled against Tsitsipas in their past encounters, Auger-Aliassime secured only his fourth win in 11 matches against the Greek player. Up next, the Canadian will face Juan Cerundolo of Argentina, who caused an upset by defeating 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech of France in a tight match on Sunday.
In the women’s competition, qualifier Xiyu Wang from China delivered a strong performance to overcome 30th-seeded Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Quebec, with a score of 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in a two-hour match. Wang, aged 25 and formerly ranked 49th in the world, started slowly but gained momentum in the second set, ultimately securing the win. Fernandez, who had reached the round of 16 at the National Bank Open in Toronto a week prior, faced difficulties with her game, managing only three return game wins and seven service game wins against Wang’s five and nine, respectively.