Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime marked his successful comeback to the court by defeating Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas with a 6-3, 7-5 victory during the second round at the Cincinnati Open on Sunday. Auger-Aliassime, seeded second in the tournament, encountered challenges with the wind in the second set and missed an opportunity to close out the match at 5-4. However, he managed to break back in the following game, securing the win by delivering his seventh ace on match point.
Reflecting on the match, Auger-Aliassime mentioned the adverse impact of the wind on his serve, especially after a 40-day break from competition since Wimbledon. Despite the tricky conditions, he expressed satisfaction with his performance, acknowledging the tough period he endured health-wise leading up to his return.
Auger-Aliassime’s victory over Tsitsipas marked his fourth win out of 11 encounters against the Greek player. Up next, the Canadian will face Juan Cerundolo of Argentina, who upset 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech of France in a closely contested match.
In the women’s event, qualifier Xiyu Wang from China defeated 30th-seeded Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Quebec, with a scoreline of 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Wang, aged 25 and previously ranked 49th globally, started slow but gained momentum in the second set, securing the win with 23 winners and 35 unforced errors. Fernandez, who reached the round of 16 at the National Bank Open in Toronto, struggled with 26 unforced errors and seven double faults during the match.
Fernandez’s performance saw her winning only three out of 12 return games and seven out of 12 service games, while Wang managed to win five return games and nine service games, ultimately clinching the victory.